To Come Home on an Alien Land
by Nomi001
Summary: A series of short stories each contributing to the overall theme and storyine, Anime Star Wars style.
1. Author's Foreword

**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

**Author's Foreword **

This story was originally titled: **_In another Universe in another Time_**. It was meant to be an interactive storytelling experiment which clearly did not work out. In the process of trying to get it to work, I found something better – a bunch of readers whose reviews and comments had help pushed the storyline into something unplanned, unexpected, and had turned a series of haphazard chapters into a potential Epic.

To all readers; I hope that you will like the new title better than the old. It does to some extent reflect on the overall theme of this Epic. The story has been re-organized into a new format. Instead of a series of never ending chapters, there will be a collection of short stories; each with its own mini-themes and plot, and each will also be a part of the overall and much bigger storyline. For those who are anime fans, you might perhaps recognize that the format is somewhat reminiscent of various anime series. I had based it on **_GetBackers _**and a Hong Kong series**_ I have a Date with a Vampire_**.

For RagnaICE, Bhar, Jimmy and Saradipity, I am most grateful for your continued support and interest. Your reviews and suggestions are most useful and very much cherished. This tale is for the four of you, without which this story would never come to be, and would never have seen the possibility of an ending. I hope the storyline will continue to fascinate and the plot will continue to intrigue.

As usual, I request my kind readers to submit a review. If you are shy, there is always the private messaging function. Most importantly, I hope you will continue to enjoy the story, and join in the adventures contained within with the Hardy brothers.


	2. TBMBSH Episode 1

**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 1 _

**To Bring my Brother Safely Home **

**_It_** was a small grey windowless room. In it were two prisoners, one male and one female. It was clear from their disheveled appearance that they had been there a long while. The male sat in the corner, his head leaned back and resting against the rough cement walls. His eyes were closed. But every now and then, he would open them to look at the female lying asleep on the makeshift bed.

The male gave a small smile at the sight of his wife sleeping. Such small pleasures of life! He used to love all those moments watching his wife asleep in bed next to him. She always looked so surreal, so sweet, that he wondered whatever he did to deserve one such as her for a wife. Now he treasured these little snippets of his wife even more, for he did not know when even that would be taken from him.

He was a detective, a private investigator. He had a very successful career, and over the years, he had built a reputation of international standing. He had helped brought down many criminals and had placed a good number of them in prison. He had contacts in high places within several government bureaucracies as he had assisted various governments in tracking down terrorists who had committed crimes on their soil.

_'Ah Fenton Hardy, Fenton Hardy… It seems your very success has led to your downfall…'_ Fenton said to himself, his tone half laughing and half bitter.

Fenton was a man who gave his best for everything he did, and he never looked back. He never needed to. And life had been good for him, with the exception of a number of incidences. But who in this world had perfect lives? His was as close to perfect as he could get. He had a loving and beautiful wife, Laura. And two smart and caring sons that would make any father proud.

At the thought of his sons, he smiled. He allowed himself that short moment of happiness away from the damp grey cell he in which he was imprisoned. His elder son, Frank, took after him in looks, inheriting his dark wavy hair and soft brown eyes. His younger, Joseph, shared many similar facial features with him, but inherited Laura's golden blond locks and sparkling blue eyes.

_'Joe,'_ Fenton whispered the name.

He felt the same sadness and grief all over again. His younger son vanished just over three years ago. He had searched and searched, and had failed. What kind of a PI was he that he could solve other people's cases, but not the one that mattered most to him? He never forgot the looks in Laura's and Frank's eyes when he told them he lost all leads to Joe. He had absolutely no idea what happened - and Joe's disappearance was still a mystery as of now. Without Joe, Frank had buried himself in his studies, finishing his Law degree in 18 months and going on to do a master's then another master's at the same time as his PhD. There were only books for his elder son now. No friends, no outings, no life...

In fact, Fenton was starting to feel that they'd all never see home again. They had been held captive for over a fortnight now, and so far he had been unable to figure out how to escape. Security had been tight. And he had deduced that they were not even in the States anymore. He also knew that he and his family would be killed as soon as their captors became bored by the games they play.

_'I'm so sorry Laura, sorry Frank. I let you down – again,'_ and Fenton wept.

He could not bring his wife or his son safely home. Not this time. Not this time…

Laura Hardy lay on the bed facing the wall, her back to her husband. She knew he was looking at her. But she was not ready. Not to meet his eyes, not to let him hold her, and not to talk. All those games and betrayal and hurts. Even as the rational mind reasoned it was their abductor's fault for everything, the emotional strain had taken their toil on her. And on him, and on Frank.

Laura curled herself into a ball, refusing her husband's comfort. What could he do? She had done everything willingly. It was for her husband and son! She told herself in a fierce tone. But that didn't help one bit, because they made Frank watch. Frank. How was he? What were they doing to him now? What other sick games were they playing? Oh god, please, not her only remaining son ... She sobbed hopelessly.

Then the door opened. Two masked men came in. Fenton watched as they took an unresisting Laura with them. They were always masked and their voice always disguised when they talked. Another two came in and took him. He did not resist either. They would only make it harder for either Frank or Laura. What was worse was he did not even know why he and his family were taken. No - it was definitely for revenge. _But who?_ Who was it that hated him so badly to plot all this and make his family suffer so much?

They were taken to a much bigger room. A hall if one might call it so. Again there were no windows. Frank was there and chained to a chair. He looked pale and very nauseated. The man who was obviously the head of the group suddenly walked up to Fenton, and then slowly caressed his cheek.

"We had an offer for your son. A very tempting offer too good to turn down. $10 million US dollars. _Cash_," he said.

Fenton felt his heart drop. Laura suddenly perked up and screamed "NOOOO!" She tried to reach Frank but was forcibly held back by two of the masked men. Her eyes had frantically searched out his and Frank's.

Frank just sat looking dully into nothingness. He knew his parents; especially his mother was trying to catch his eye. But he ignored them. He was just too tired. Life had been colorless ever since Joe disappeared. And at this moment, he just could not master up the will to fight anymore. So what if he was sold? Perhaps the ordeal would soon be over, and he would get to see his brother again… In his mind's eye, he saw his baby brother calling out to him from the tree house they had built when they were kids with their father's help. In his mind's eye, his baby brother was home and his family was whole again. And in his mind, Frank smiled.

**_Meanwhile_**in another universe in another time in another galaxy far far away, a young manstood on the cliff top staring sadly and tiredly down at the utter devastation before him. His name was Joseph Hardy, though in this world he was only known as Joe.

It was war and more war, and the little people suffered most. He wished he could do something more for them, but he couldn't. He could only fight and try to keep those demons at bay as long as he could. Until the day his luck ran out, and a random laser beam would slice through his defenses, leaving him to plunge to his death, or suffocate and freeze in deep space. But in the meantime, he would fight the best he could and the best he knew how.

"Hey Joe, time to go, little brother!" An all-too- familiar voice called out to him.

Joe turned, looking up at Banz Kalosis, his best friend and partner in this world; his big brother by training and by ritual bonding.

"Aye, time to go, Banz." Joe concurred, and then added in a light-hearted tone that masked the weariness of his soul, "Beat you back to home-base, Big Bro!"

With that, he took off at a run and leapt off the edge of the cliff. Letting the downward draft propel him from the cliff face, he enjoyed the brief seconds of free fall, before the tractor beam from his Angel caught him and drew him up into his cockpit. Angel Class Fighter Crafts, highly maneuverable in space as well as within a planet's atmosphere.

Once safe in his Angel, Joe set the coordinates for Starship Rendezvous, currently in orbit above this planet. Without looking, he knew Banz was right beside him in his own Angel. Together, they raced back to home-base.

Mission Accomplished Again. But at a price. A very high price indeed.


	3. TBMBSH Episode 2

**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 2 _

**To Bring my Brother Safely Home **

"**_Who_** are you?" Fenton asked. "What did I do to you?"

He had to know. If he knew who, he might be able to figure out something that he could use to bargain his son's and wife's freedom.

The masked leader laughed. "I want you to wonder. And to suffer. You will never know, Fenton. I have planned for years for this day. And I shall relish every second of your anguish and agony! How right they were to say that revenge is a dish best eaten cold! And how right they were to say that mental pain is far far worse than physical ones."

Suddenly the door opened, and an elderly man walked in, followed by a young woman carrying a huge briefcase. Fenton did not recognize him at all, but he knew in his heart, that man was the one who made the offer for Frank. Why did he want Frank? God, so many unknowns!

"Welcome to the Lair, Mister Q! Here's the person you wanted. I see you have the cash?" The leader queried.

The elderly man signaled to his guard, who put the briefcase on the table. Mr. Q opened it and displayed the neatly stacked $100 bills. Then he gestured to Frank, and said, "For 10 mil, can't you at least provide better ... packaging?"

The masked leader looked surprised for an instant, then commanded one of his men in a mocking tone, "Why of course. Take young Mr. Hardy here out and make him more presentable ... he can wear the set of clothing we got last week."

Then, Mr. Q sat down on the chair that was provided for him, his hands sat atop the heavy cane he used, even though Fenton could not spot a limp. The young woman stood silently behind him.

After Frank was gone for a while, Fenton finally worked up the courage to break the silence and to ask Mr. Q, "What do you want my son for, Mister Q?"

The elderly man arched an eyebrow at him. "You have many enemies, I see, Mr. Hardy," then shrugged nonchalantly, "He has skills that are needed. And your enemies do want to see you suffer, do they not?"

The masked men around him snickered.

Before Fenton could respond, the guard returned with Frank. His hands were still cuffed behind his back, but he looked much better in the T-shirt and slacks, even though they hung a little loosely on his thinned-down frame. And Frank still looked far too pale for his liking. Then he realized Frank's eyes were a little glazed his face a little feverish.

The elderly man examined Frank with a critical eye, and then gave a nod. It was clear he was far from satisfied with what he saw.

"Let's get going then." Then he left the room.

The young woman reached out for Frank and propelled him after the old man. Then, turning to face the leader, she added, gesturing to the two older Hardys, "You bring them along, as we agreed."

Fenton was surprised by that, but hid his curiosity. But he could see a sudden hopeful look in Laura's eyes. He only hoped that whatever happened next would not come as a crushing blow to her already fragile state of mind. Soon, they were all out in the open. Fenton had to squint against the glare of the sunlight. They were surrounded by forests. And before them was a very comfortable looking eight-seater 4WD.

The Leader who had been watching all the while laughed at the play of emotions across the faces of all three Hardys.

"Thought you were going to be separated for a moment, didn't you? The total payment was 12 mil, Hardy, one each for both you and your wife. He said it would be nice for you to see what your son will become. Ain't that sweet! Hope you suffer even more, Hardy!" he spat out. Then he turned and left.

The remaining masked men directed Fenton and Laura into the backmost seats of the 4WD. Then Frank and the old man got in, and the old man slid the door shut on his side. Finally, the young woman got into the driver's seat, and drove off.

After they were a comfortable distance away from the place of captivity, Fenton was suddenly shocked by Mr. Q turning to face him directly, saying, "I wouldn't try that if I were you, Mr. Hardy." An instant later, the little makeshift weapon he had managed to conceal dropped onto the floor of the 4WD, and then rolled away under the front seats.

His mouth dry, he wondered, how the old man knew. And what he did or how he did it. Then he sighed. He should have figured there had to be something else ... and a cold fear seized his heart when he recalled the feel of a strong viselike grip on his hand, forcing him to drop his weapon. It wasn't possible, was it? He looked up at the back of the old man's head, and then forced a thought:

_'I could just grab him now and knock him out, then take out the girl.' _

The old man chuckled and said, "Good deduction, Mr. Hardy. And quick too. I was wondering how long it would take for you to figure out you can't really expect to escape so easily."

It was then that Fenton realized that Frank appeared much better, his skin not so pale, and that he was staring at the old man in amazement. Despite the cuffs on his hands, Fenton pushed himself from his seat to lean forward to see what was happening. What he saw amazed him. There was a festering wound on Frank's lower left torso. It must have gotten infected and that must be what was causing Frank's feverish appearance. The amazing thing was the placement of the old man's gnarled hand about half a foot above the wound. The air about the area shimmered, and Fenton swore he could literally see the wound healing.

Finally, the wound healed fully. Fenton and Frank could both see that the efforts had taken toil on the old man. Sweat had beaded his brow, and his hand was shaking a little as he removed it from its healing position. Even the young woman at the wheel had looked back every once in a while, a worried expression on her face.

Frank touched his torso where the wound was, gingerly, then he looked at the old man and said, "Thanks."

Then he asked the question that Fenton had been itching to ask. "_Why?_" The 'who' and the 'how' and the 'what' could come later.

"For my godson." The Hardys were mystified.

The old man looked at Frank tiredly. He reached out with his other hand and gently traced Frank's features. Then he smiled. "You may have brown hair and eyes instead of blond and blue. But your features are similar. There is no mistaking that you are brothers."

The next ten minutes passed agonizingly slowly for the Hardys. They couldn't believe that now after three years, they might finally find out what happened to Joe. And from what the old man said, Joe was still alive, and most possibly well too. The Hardys started asking questions immediately, wanting to know what happened, how was Joe, where he was, etc etc and all the unasked questions like ... why didn't Joe come home? Didn't he know his family missed him desperately?

It was several long minutes later that the Hardys realized that the old man had his eyes closed and was leaning back into his seat. The Hardys' voices slowly faded off one by one - was he really really sleeping? They wondered, frustrated. But they made a collective decision to wait it out. There was no need to discuss it. It seemed the old man had 'saved' them. He healed Frank. Fenton worried about the $12mil and the motivation behind it, and the eventual price that might follow. But, this was their only lead to Joe. They didn't want to lose that. And the Hardys also supposed it was the least they could do to let the old man rest for a while after his exertions.

The young female driver had thrown Frank a key and he used it to free his parents. They wondered about her too. Who was she, and more importantly, what might she be capable of? After all, she had walked so casually and confidently into a den of ruthless criminals, as apparently the bodyguard of an old man. . . though the old man did have some amazing capabilities.

The wild musings of the Hardys were drawn to an abrupt halt when the 4WD screeched to a sudden stop. All of them could feel the sonic energy of a loud explosion, even though none heard a squeak. Outside the 4WD, it looked like they were caught in the midst of a sandstorm. When the dust finally settled, the Hardys saw that their 4WD was nestled at the edge of a circular field of rocky terrain.


	4. TBMBSH Episode 3

**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 3 _

**To Bring my Brother Safely Home **

"Selective terra-forming," the young female driver said. "Just created a combat arena out of the forest."

The Hardys were still in a little of a shock. An understatement, surely! Three mouths opened but no sound came out.

Then the young woman spat out something in an unknown language. Frank supposed she must be cursing or something. She turned to face the old man, "Trouble," she said.

"Magyar Assassin. And he set this arena on top of our re-con point."

The old man looked at his watch. "You have less than 7 minutes."

"It'll be over in two," the girl said confidently, getting out of the driver's seat and gestured for everyone to get out of the car.

At the far end of the circular rocky arena stood a tall and imposing figure. Frank was still trying to wrap his mind around what happened, but all he could think of was ... that figure looked just like General Grievous of Star Wars, Return of the Sith. He had to be dreaming. Too much study and too many late night movies, mainly Joe's faves, to drown his sorrows in ...

Then the figure spoke, the voice grating and metallic. "I only want the young man by the name of Frank Hardy. Leave him and you all shall live. Even he can be alive and free, if he can kill me. Such is the way of the Magyar Clan. All our victims were given a chance. Survive the challenge and the death contract is null to the Magyar clan. But know that we Magyar Assassins rarely lose a contract."

Frank wanted to step forward - he knew that was a dead move, but he could not in good conscience let all the others die for him. But the young woman had halted his move with a surprisingly strong grip, and stepped in front of him.

"It is the sacred tradition of the Magyar Clan, that one related by blood or by ritual or by any cultural bonding of the first degree to the intended of the death contract may take up the challenge on his behalf. Should the replacement win, the contract is void. Should the replacement die, the contract continues. Is that right?" She asked.

"It is as you say," the Magyar Assassin acknowledged.

"Good. I, Reiko Isogawa, claim the right of kinship to accept the challenge on behalf of Frank Hardy, blood brother to my mate, Joseph Hardy." With that, she stepped into the circle and took up a fighting stance. In her right hand, with the blade tipping ground-ward, was what looked like a samurai sword - except that there were lightning sparks sizzling up and down the blade.

Frank wanted to protest, but the old man had told him to watch and learn. He could also see his parents eyeing the young woman speculatively, but also with extremely worried frowns on their faces. He himself took another look at the woman who just declared herself his sister-in-law.

She was tall and slim, possibly five foot eight. Her long black hair was tied in a ponytail behind her. Was it his imagination or was there a bluish tinge to her hair? She had big bright aquamarine green eyes, in a heart-shaped face. Finely arched brows - very classic chic looks. Then again, his brother always had good taste in women. Then Frank caught himself - what was he doing? She was in a fight for her life and he was ... checking her out? Frank forced his attention back to the combat aspects of the arena.

There was a moment of absolute silence, so quiet one could hear a lone leaf land on the grassy ground. Then, in the blink of an eye, both combatants were in the dead center of the arena. The huge form of the Assassin towered over Reiko's petite form, and it looked like she would be crushed under the sheer weight of her opponent. And the two blades clashed with such force, it generated a flash of lightning so blinding, Frank had to cover his eyes even though he stood almost 100 meters away under the hot bright afternoon sun.

By the time he could see again, Reiko was in mid-somersault in mid-air, slashing her blade downward at her opponent. A line of flying rocks traced the path of her blade. The Magyar had managed to leap out of the way. Just barely.

Then, the two were again at opposite ends of the arena. Then, they were charging at each other again. This time, they ran past each other - but it was clear the blades had clashed when they passed. There was a short moment of silence. Everyone held their breath. The Magyar Assassin collapsed to his knees.

"The death contract is now void to the Magyar clan." Reiko said, as she turned to face the injured Magyar.

"Agreed," the Magyar said, then disappeared into ... something. Frank could not tell what that was.

Then the terrain around them began to shift and shimmer, the sand swirling wildly all around them. Yet they were unaffected by the surrounding chaos. It was then Frank realized the old man had his right hand held high in the air.

"Energy force-field," Reiko told them, as she stepped easily through the sandstorm into the protective force-field generated by the old man.

When the sandstorm cleared, the Hardys found themselves again back in the forest. But before them this time was what they could only describe as a spacecraft. And to Frank, it looked just like the piece of junk Han Solo flew in Star Wars.

Just minutes later, the Hardys found themselves strapped into their respective seats in that spacecraft, and before they knew it, they were in the air, then in space. It all happened so fast none of them had time to actually process what was happening around them.

**_On_** board Starship Rendezvous, Joe and Banz alighted from their respective crafts in the docking bay. As usual, they had arrived at the same time. The space race was a little tradition between them, and it was a race neither ever won nor lost. It was just something they did simply for the sake of doing it. It helped them feel, for a short moment in time, that they were normal young men teasing and joking with one another, and not the warriors that they were against the backdrop of a looming epic war, chosen by destiny to fight against a relentless enemy.

Joe sighed as he started to fill in the pilot's report and damage log, as required by protocol. He wished he was back in good old Bayport living his life as a carefree teenager. Joe laughed. His life was not exactly carefree, but if he could turn back the clock, he would not have minded a mediocre life as a normal teenager at all. Normality was a rarity in his current life in this world.

Then Joe watched and supervised as his Angel was towed away for the necessary repairs and checks. Further down the docking bay, Banz had just completed his checks and was heading towards him.

Without the need for words, both of them turned in unison and headed for the exit of the docking bay. It was a deep understanding and knowledge of each other that was borne and forged over two years of intense partnership over numerous high pressure and death defying missions.

It was a bond not unlike what Joe shared with Frank in his previous life. And Joe wondered, as he did ever so often, how Frank was doing. His brother should be graduating from college by now, Joe mused.

Joe's thoughts were cut short by the sight of High Council Member, Swordmistress Isogawa, striding swiftly and purposefully towards them.

Swordmistress Isogawa did not mince words. "Banz, Joe. Prepare for a rescue mission."

"Your godfather and Reiko went on a standard retrieval mission and are on their way back here." She told Joe.

Joe exchanged a look of mild surprise with Banz. His godfather was a member of the High Council, and he certainly did not need to personally attend to retrieval missions.

"However, our intelligence had detected a legion of Deathwings heading towards them. Their ship is not outfitted for combat and had only the basic defense capabilities. So you have to get there before the Deathwings. Take the Guardian fighter-crafts, I have obtain Council permission for your use." Isogawa ordered.

Guardians? Both Banz and Joe were surprised. Guardians were to be used only in the direst of circumstances. But they were grateful anyway, for it would be impossible for two Angels to go against a legion of Deathwings.

"We'll make sure Reiko is back safe," Joe reassured Isogawa before turning to rush off to summon his personal Guardian.

"And Joe," Isogawa called after him. "The Retrieval Subject is Frank David Hardy…"


	5. TBMBSH Episode 4

**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 4 _

**To Bring my Brother Safely Home **

**_Frank_**could hardly contain his excitement. He was in a spaceship and he would be seeing his brother soon. Reiko had seated him next to her in the co-pilot seat, saying Joe had told her Frank loved to fly. That bit of information had given Frank a warm feeling in his heart. His brother had not forgotten him. At the back of his mind, a tiny voice was reminding him that he was a detective, and that there were questions he needed to ask. But Frank ignored them, choosing instead to focus on the fact that he might be seeing his brother soon. And on the cool gadgetry before him. And on the prospect of flying a spacecraft.

He concentrated on Reiko's actions and memorized everything she did. He acknowledged that she was probably saying each step out loud for his benefit. Power on, warming up engines, engage stealth mode, and finally the take off. A silent and vertical takeoff, Frank noted. Something one could only see in movies. This was far beyond Earth's current technology. Then the craft shot up into the sky and within minutes, they were in space. No discomfort form the G-force when escaping the atmosphere at all, Frank marveled. Then he looked out of the side window and saw the tiny blue planet Earth winking back at him. _This is so cool!_ he thought, only to frown in consternation as Reiko turned the craft towards the sun.

"There will be a huge solar flare happening in 8.7 minutes. We need to be there to catch it. Approaching light speed, Warp 1" Reiko announced.

Eight minutes was a long time to wait, given the situation the Hardys were in. As the silence dragged on, each minute became heavier and longer.

Now that Fenton had time to think, he began to feel the start of an anxiety attack, though he tried hard to hold it back, not wanting to worry his wife. From his perspective, they had not been given a choice, really. That young woman, Reiko, had simply grabbed Frank's arm and dragged him up into the craft. That left him no choice but to follow. In truth, he doubted any of them could have gotten away, having seen Reiko's skills with that sword, and Mr. Q's psychic abilities. And the $12 million sat heavily at the back of his mind. Then there was this unbelievable fact that he was in a spacecraft and in space. He was really getting too old for this.

Finally, Laura could not take it anymore, and asked, "Who are you? What do you want from us? From my son? Why is Frank so valuable to you that you are willing to pay that much for him? Where is Joe and why wasn't he here?"

Fenton and Frank waited with bated breath for the answers. They did not have to wait long.

The old man looked at Laura with an amused expression. Then he shrugged. Mothers were such interesting creatures. Vulnerable, but curious, always the first to demand answers to things that mattered.

"I am an old man, lady, and most certainly not your friend. Your son, Frank, as I said to your husband, has certain skills we could use. We paid the $10 million, and that was because we did not really pay the $10 million. And no, those were not forgeries. That would be far too risky. Joe is currently in the middle of an important mission. And he wasn't here, not now and not for the past three years, because he can't be here. Joseph Hardy has been dead to this world for three years now."

With that, he turned to Reiko saying, "I see we made the schedule. Prepare for the jump."

Dead? For three years? The three Hardys stared at the old man in disbelief.

"What? How?" They stammered and stuttered.

Then Frank realized something else. "And what about us? Are we technically dead in this world too? You were sort of retrieving us, is that it?"

The old man looked at Frank and gave him an approving smile. "Almost as quick as your brother. Our orders were to retrieve **_you_**, but I thought Joe might appreciate a birthday gift...If you want to know, 15 minutes after we left, an assassination squad under the command of a Colombian drug lord will have raided the hideout where you were held. After everyone in there was killed, the place was rigged to explode so that no evidence remains."

"Anyway, that's all you can know for now. Joe's story is Joe's to tell. And I'm sure you know he's the better story-teller." The old man glanced at the screen above the control panel before continuing, "Just prepare yourselves, we're about to 'jump' through a portal. I am sure you will find it an interesting experience."

"5...4...3...2...1...0!" Reiko started the countdown.

Frank could not find anything from his past experience to adequately describe what happened next. One moment, everything was normal, and then in the next moment, things got a little woozy and blurry. It felt like he was moving, but he had not. It felt like the world around him was spinning, but it was not. It felt like that for 5 minutes. Or was it five hours? It felt like an instant...It felt like forever.

Then, suddenly, all was normal again.

Frank shook his head, trying to clear his system of the rather uncomfortable feelings still riding through his body. Interesting, the old man had said. That was one understatement of the year! Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his mom puking into some sort of a bag, and his dad looking rather sickly.

Reiko was still concentrating on the control panel before her, keying in something, then watching the series of symbols which flashed on the screen before her, then keying in something else. Finally, she paused, then turned to the old man, a smile lighting up her face.

"All done!" she said. "We're on course for Starship Rendezvous. At current setting of warp 5 in sub-space kat 4, we should arrive in 3.5 standard hours."

Noting Frank's rather curious expression, she added, "What we did was to utilize the excess energy from the solar flare to power open an inter-time-dimension portal, and we crossed the threshold. We're now in another universe in another time and in another galaxy, far, far away from yours. So I suppose I should say, 'Welcome'. And, we are currently traveling at 5 times light speed - warp 5. In order to cover more ground and avoid crashing into stray asteroids, we are also traveling through sub-space rather than through space."

Then, Reiko stood up within the confined space in the cockpit, stretched, and told the rest of them,"3.5 standard hours is a long time, so if you want to grab a bite, just follow me. This craft can fly on auto-pilot for a while, so don't worry."

The three Hardys followed Reiko rather eagerly. They weren't hungry, even though their previous captors barely fed them. But they were more excited about chatting up the girl for more information, since she did seem more talkative than the old man.

_And she's younger_, Fenton and Frank both thought along the same line, so maybe she'd let slip more information...

"Don't count on it!" came an indignant and instant retort from Reiko.

The old man chuckled and shook his head. Fenton and Frank blushed, embarrassed at having been caught out. How could they know the girl was telepathic as well? On the other hand, they should have guessed.

Laura eyed Reiko, curiosity about the girl clear in her eyes. She wanted to know more about this young lady and of her relationship with her son.

Reiko turned to her and smiled, "We can chat about that brat over a cup of tea, what do you think?"

But, before anyone could even leave the cockpit, the entire space-craft shuddered. Then, without any warning, the ship jerked violently. There was a terrible grinding sound of metal under extreme duress. And at the same time, everyone was thrown violently to one side!


	6. TBMBSH Episode 5

**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 5 _

**To Bring my Brother Safely Home **

**_Frank_** thought he heard something. He tried to move, but a spike of pain through his head brought a stop to that movement. He groaned instead, and fought against the darkness that was trying to draw him back in. But something was teasing him at the edges of his awareness. Someone was talking. That voice sounded so familiar…_Joe_? He brushed aside the pain and made himself sit up.

"Rei…Reiko! Come on, get up. We don't have much time!" the familiar voice was repeating over and over.

Finally, Frank forced open his eyes and saw a blurry outline of Reiko reaching for the communications console. An image appeared on a screen. Frank blinked, and then locked onto the image. It was his brother. He looked the same, yet different. Frank supposed three years was a long time. He heard two sharp gasps and knew his parents saw Joe too.

"Rei! Thank goodness you're all right!" Joe said. "We have to get moving, they'll be here soon."

Frank could feel the tension emanating off his brother in waves. The old man was pulling all of them into their respective seats and strapping them in. Frank noted the old man had taken the co-pilot seat this time.

"Can't you guys just call in and tell me to drop out of sub-space?! That's what the communications technologies are for, or don't you realize that?!" Reiko grunted, clearly extremely irritated. Then after a quick glance at the control panel, she suddenly paled and asked, "Uh-oh, what did we just miss?"

Another image appeared on screen next to Joe, and the red-headed young man answered, "A death web stretched across sub-space kat 2 to 5, placed directly in your path. We barely managed to pull you out – you were mere seconds away from total vaporization…"

"Rei…shields up! We have to get moving. The Deathwings will be here soon... You have to get to Draconia, that's the nearest habitable planet. We have a much better chance against them on ground combat. Hide out there…I and Banz will join you as soon as we can..." Joe ordered.

"Too late, they're here," Banz interrupted. "Go Rei, go! We'll buy you some time! Joe, remember, Starlight Maneuver! Go! GO!"

Frank saw Joe gave a grim nod, and then both images disappeared.

Reiko had swung into action, her hands dancing furiously over various buttons and dials on the control panel.

"Engage Battle Station," she called out.

At that same instant, a myriad of screens and holographic images popped up and arrayed themselves around her. Frank zoomed in on two screens, each showing a rather sleek looking craft executing a series of complex flips, rolls, and turns, as they endeavored to avoid being hit by the numerous laser beams being fired at them. Each time one of the crafts flew through an explosive ball of fire, he flinched. He knew Joe was piloting one of those crafts. Each time the crafts came out unscathed from the explosion; he heaved a sigh of relief.

"Hang on tight!" Reiko called out again as she guided the ship through several evasive maneuvers.

Frank could see that each time Reiko tried to turn their ship in a certain direction; an enemy ship would appear to block her path, forcing her to swerve to avoid a head on collision or being hit.

He could see his parents looking really nervous. _Scared _would be a better word. That was exactly what he was feeling now. God, please, not now. Not when he was so close to seeing Joe again! He could see what he supposed was laser beams shooting past them. Reiko was doing a good job evading them so far.

Then the entire ship shuddered, and Frank heard the onboard AI intone: "Shields at 95 percent"

And then there was another more violent hit. "Shields at 80 percent"

"There's a second legion of Deathwings!" Reiko cursed. "Joe, they got the Hex formation… they got all potential exit pathways covered … I can't break through!"

"Joe. Engage Guardian Mode … NOW!" Banz's terse voice echoed loudly in the tiny cockpit.

Frank watched in amazement as the two sleek crafts suddenly braked in mid-air…no in mid-space…was there such a thing as mid in space? And then parts of each craft began to move and shift. Within a second, it changed itself into a … Transformer? Those might not look exactly like Optimus Prime or Megatron, but were close enough.

"A Guardian," Reiko managed to take the time to tell him.

Fascinated, Frank watched as one of the Guardians brought both hands upfront and literally 'caught' the lasers being aimed at it. And in a quick fluid movement, it gathered the laser beams into energy balls, and threw it back against its perpetrators. Then it disappeared, sort of, only to reappear some distance off behind an enemy craft and slicing it in half with a blade of light that it held in its robotic hands.

Joe's image appeared on screen again.

"Rei, I'll open a window of opportunity for you… Trajectory Asteroid KD-26 to Draconia. ..8 seconds countdown…" He said.

"You have so much faith in my flying abilities, Joe," Reiko responded grimly as she tried to pull their ship into position whilst evading enemy fire.

"Redmore maneuver, Rei, remember…the Redmore maneuver," Joe reminded her as he broadsided two Deathwings, and threw a third towards two approaching crafts.

And Reiko started to move away from the opening that Joe had just created. As two other Deathwings moved to intercept her, she halted the ship and at the same time executing a 270 degree rotation. The ship's body shuddered and squealed under the extreme stress generated by the maneuver. But that move placed her right on the trajectory to fly out of the Hex entrapment.

"We're out… Joe… Banz… We're out! Heading towards Draconia," Reiko announced.

Frank knew it was not over. A multitude of Deathwings had broken away from the formation and were now chasing them. Then Frank realized he had somehow read that last bit of information from the ships console. He tightened his grip on the armrest. Time had slowed down for him. He could barely breathe. He could feel the battle going on behind them. Every once in a while he could see the fiery orange of an explosion from the side windows. Every now and then, he could feel the sonic blast of an explosion moving through the ship. He assumed that it was the enemy ships that went down. Surely Reiko would react if Joe was hurt? And surely he would feel it if anything happened to Joe?

He could hear the ship's AI reading out the shield capacity: 70 percent… 50 percent… 30 percent…. 10 percent... And then the golden yellow of a planet loomed before them.

"Hold on, we're almost there…" Reiko's soft steady voice reassured them.

And they were hit again. This time, something was definitely not right.

"Secondary engine malfunction. Hull integrity weakening. Shields at 0" the AI intoned in its usual monotone.

Frank could feel his heart racing. He could see Reiko's hand holding on to the steering mechanism in a death grip. Then their ship hit the atmosphere. The windscreen before him turned a bright orange, then it turned white. He could feel the ship shuddering rather violently now. For the first time since he boarded this ship, he could feel the stress of the G-force pressing hard against him.

Finally, they broke through the clouds, and Frank could see the beautiful strange world below them. He wondered if that would be the last thing he saw.


	7. TBMBSH Episode 6

**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 6 _

**To Bring my Brother Safely Home **

A small group of refugees were swiftly making their way through the ancient Draconian forest. The smoking hull of their battered ship was a beacon for the enemy fighters, so they had to move as far from the wreckage as possible. The trees were all over a hundred feet tall. The multitude of over-arching branches laden with huge golden leaves provided excellent cover. Undergrowth was sparse, and the group, led by the old man, moved quietly and swiftly deeper and deeper in to the forest.

The old man had explained to the Hardys that this planet, with all its unique life forms, was under the protection of several ancient races of dragons. So as long as they were under the cover of the forest, their enemy would have to hunt them down on foot. That was what Joe meant when he said that they would have better chances on the ground.

Suddenly, all of them were thrown aside by the blast from an explosion as a missile from one of the Deathwings flattened a portion of the forest before them.

"Fools!" the old man gritted out through clenched teeth, "They'll awaken the dragons!"

The small group of refugees was now clearly visible to the flying Deathwings as the blast had destroyed their cover. It was a miracle that they weren't hurt by the blast. Frank looked up into the sky and saw a Deathwing coming towards them. He knew the pilot was preparing to fire, and that this would be his last few seconds of life.

Then to his surprise, the Deathwing vaporized right before his eyes. He caught a flash of red at the edge of his vision. He scanned the skies and gasped. Four magnificent red-colored flying dragons were locked in combat with the dozen or so Deathwings.

"That was fast…blood dragons usually don't awaken so quickly…" Reiko mused. "The lesser dragons could have easily taken down those Deathwings…"

"I think Banz and Joe may have something to do with this…." the old man responded.

Frank watched, mesmerized, as one of the blood dragons flicked his tail and sent two Deathwings spinning out of control. A second dragon swooped past and breathed fire on it. Both Deathwings vaporized instantly. It did not take long for the Deathwing pilots to realize that none of their fire power had even managed to touch a dragon. They turned skywards, desperate to regain the safety of space. But that was not to be. A wave of dragon fire flared across the golden sky, and all of the Deathwings disappeared. There was nothing, not even a scrap of metal to tell that they had even existed. The destruction was total.

_'Those dragons were deadly,'_ Frank thought, stunned. _'They were beautiful and deadly.'_

He could not help the little shiver of fear that ran through him as one of the dragons started to fly towards them, while the other three vanished. He took comfort in the fact that neither Reiko nor the old man looked worried. As the dragon neared, the form shimmered and shrank. And it was a 10-foot humanoid form with flaming red hair that finally stood before them.

"Alasharee!" Reiko called out in greeting to the red-haired giant.

They all watched Alasharee cast a healing spell to repair the damage done to the forest. Frank watched in amazement as the burnt marks on the trees quickly healed. Young saplings sprouted from the ground where the dead trees lay.

"Greetings, Lady Isogawa. Please send my regards to your mother," Alasharee said, then turned and gave the old man a quick nod, which was similarly acknowledged.

"Another ship has landed on the far side of this forest. We cannot interfere as long as they do not harm life on this planet. So do be careful." Then he added, "Do inform Banz Kalosis and Joe that the debt of honor has been repaid in full….And tell them they are welcome to ride a dragon at any time."

With that, Alasharee took off for the skies. Frank watched the flight of the red dragon until he disappeared into the horizon. _'Ride a dragon? Whatever does that mean?!'_

Frank did not have time to ponder over that strange yet alluring remark. He could sense that both Reiko and the old man had suddenly tensed up, as if alerted to something. He turned to see seven men dressed in dark brown leather walking casually towards them.

"Those are members of the Central Assassin Guild." Reiko told the Hardys.

All three Hardys paled considerably. Frank could see his mom reaching out to his dad for support. Her eyes were filled with fear for him.

Turning to Frank and shaking her head in mock despair, Reiko added, "First the Magyar. Then the Deathwings, and now the CAG….Your brother failed to tell me what a trouble magnet you are…"

Frank blushed. _Whatever happened? Trouble magnet used to be Joe's domain… _

Then the assassins were before them, and the leader amongst them asked, "We believe there is a Frank Hardy here?"

"Yes, there is," the old man answered. "How may he be of assistance to you?"

The leader smiled, "We do not wish to harm innocent bystanders, but we will. This death contract is simply too lucrative…"

"…because it's impossible to fulfill…and therefore it's also valueless," Reiko cut the leader off.

"Lady Reiko Isogawa, daughter of Swordmistress Naruto Isogawa, and heir to a lineage as old as time itself…you might wish to know that your battle with the Magyar Assassin is currently one of the most popular bard's tales at many local taverns …it's an honor to meet you indeed," the leader said, at the same time executing a very gentlemanly bow.

Reiko returned a mock curtsy.

"But today I am only here to issue a statement of intent. Fortunately, unlike the Magyars, we do not have any clunky old traditions to adhere to….And there is no way you can guard him every second of his life…" the leader started, only to be interrupted by another voice…

"But there is a price for everything, especially to the members of the CAG, or am I wrong to make that statement?" a familiar voice enquired politely.

Joe! Frank whipped his head around in the direction of the voice and saw his brother walking towards them, and the red-headed young man called Banz right next to him….


	8. TBMBSH Episode 7

**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 7 _

**To Bring my Brother Safely Home **

**_Three_** pairs of eyes followed Joe's every move as he walked past the group to stand right before the seven assassins. Joe was still Joe, with his golden wavy hair and sparkling sapphire eyes. But the Hardys could see the weariness in the eyes, barely concealed behind the sparkling blue orbs. He had given them a quick reassuring smile as he walked casually past them. But they could feel the aura of power and danger about him. His build was leaner now, he had lost the muscles from the hours spent in the gym three years back, but his carriage and moves bespoke the grace and lightness of a deadly martial pugilist.

The boy who had mysteriously gone missing at 17 was now a young man, and one that had gone through some interesting life-changing experience. Interesting was an understatement.

_'Aye'_, Frank acknowledged, _'this Joe is dangerous.'_ And he wondered that he had been too naïve in thinking that everything would be like before when he finally got to see Joe again. Then he laughed at himself. Well, who was he kidding…at this point in time and place, he was totally dependent on Joe, and Reiko and that old man, for his life. He had absolutely no idea why there were so many assassins after him. What had he done? Or was it what would he do?

Standing behind Frank, Fenton and Laura were thinking similar thoughts. Laura was happy to see her son again. At the same time, she also felt saddened. It was clear to her that Joe looked older than he was. Her younger son did not have an easy life here.

Battle hardened, Joe looked battle hardened, Fenton thought. What sort of world did they come into? He wondered. It certainly did not seem like a world that any father would wish their child be brought into. And why would anyone want Frank dead _here_?

The leader of the CAG turned his attention towards Banz and Joe, scrutinizing them from head to toe.

Finally, recognition lit his features, "Banz Kalosis! Sole descendent to one of the most revered Warrior-Mage lineage in this galaxy." Turning to Joe, he added, "and you can only be Joe, Soul Brother to Kalosis, and godson of The Old Man … which means…" He turned to face the old man, eyes widening in apprehension, "You are _He_."

The Old Man simply smiled.

_'The _Old Man?' The Hardys picked up on the difference, turned to take a better look at the old man.

'Who is he?' They wondered yet again.

Banz tilted his head in acknowledgement. "Chaerea Nizari, younger son of Yigal Nizari, current Chief of CAG."

"It seems that this is going to be a much harder contract than anticipated," Chaerea commented. His gaze swept through the non-CAG members before him. "Who is this Frank Hardy?"

"He is my blood brother. I am also known as Joseph Hardy," Joe replied, never taking his eyes off Chaerea.

"Indeed," Chaerea said, "This is a highly unusual situation."

Joe smiled, "Agreed."

"I suppose there IS a price after all," Chaerea said, looking at Joe. "It is rumored that a year ago, the Demi-god Addu, the Lord of Storms, forged a Storm Blade for someone as a gift of gratitude."

Joe neither acknowledged nor denied that statement.

"If you have that Storm Blade, then we can do the Nizari Challenge. If you win, the death contract is void to CAG." Chaerea offered.

Frank thought Joe had looked a little surprised, but he could not be certain. Then he saw Joe raise his right arm, fingers outstretched. The air around the hand shimmered, and a sword appeared. Then Joe threw the sword towards Chaerea, who caught it deftly with his left hand. Frank blinked. He really shouldn't be surprised by the strange events in this world, but he still was.

_'This really takes getting used to,_' he thought, and then turned his attention to Chaerea. He really had a bad feeling about the Nizari Challenge.

Chaerea unsheathed the sword. The blade was black. Actually, _dark_ might be a better word to describe it. It looked like dark roiling storm clouds were trapped within the blade itself. And every now and then, the blade flashed, as if there were lightning trying to escape.

"I hope you are ready for the challenge, Joe. Perhaps Lady Isogawa will loan you her infamous Lightning Samurai?" Chaerea said.

Joe smiled and shook his head. He bent down and picked up a sword-length branch.

"It's never about the sword, Chaerea," Joe said. "It's all about technique….Ready when you are."

And Joe stood there in the clearing recently created by the Deathwings, with the tip of the branch pointing downwards, waiting. Chaerea seemed shocked for a moment before he finally took on an attacking stance. The Nizari Challenge had begun.

Frank started to panic. His brother had to be crazy, taking on a…a magical sword with a...a…wooden tree branch! Then he heard Reiko telling him to calm down.

"Joe'll be fine," Reiko reassured the Hardys. "He is personally trained by my mother."

The Hardys looked at her doubtfully before turning their attention back to the fight before them. Frank had this crazy feeling that he was back in medieval Europe where gentlemen issued challenges to settle matters of dispute and personal honor.

Joe was doing a good job dodging and parrying the incoming attacks by Chaerea. The speed of the battle was so fast, every thing was a blur. It was hard to see what exactly was happening. Frank only knew that Joe was not counter-attacking. Then, Frank realized he could actually see the moves. Frank could now see that Joe's tree branch never touched the dark stormy blade. Instead, Joe had directed his branch towards the hilt of the sword, or Chaerea's hand and arm. In that way, Joe controlled the trajectory of the blade, ensuring that the blade would never endanger himself.

_'How?'_ Frank wondered. _'Is that a skill that The Old Man said he had, or is it something about this world that allowed him to do that?'_

Then, Joe suddenly launched a counter-attack. He parried away an incoming thrust, twisted his branch around Chaerea's sword hand, and flicked the Storm Blade from Chaerea's grip. And a fraction of a millisecond later, Joe had his branch at Chaerea's throat, and the Storm Blade held in his left hand.

For a moment, it seemed time stood still. It was clear that all the CAG assassins were stunned by the ease with which their leader was defeated.

The stillness was shattered by the sound of someone clapping his hands.

All eyes turned toward the sound. A distinguished looking elderly man was walking calmly towards them, clapping his hands in pace with his steps.

"Well done," he said, the approval was clear in his voice. "That was remarkable swordplay. Swordmistress Isogawa has taught you well."

"Yigal Nizari," Frank could hear Reiko's tense whisper right next to him…


	9. TBMBSH Episode 8

**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 8 _

**To Bring my Brother Safely Home **

"**_We_** meet again, young one," Yigal said to Joe.

Joe acknowledged the greeting with a slight nod of his head.

Turning to The Old Man, Yigal continued, "I see Lady Destiny has been very kind to you, Old Man."

"_She_ has." The Old Man acknowledged the greeting, "But you are not here just to tell me that, Nizari."

Yigal smiled. But it was a sad smile. "I am here to retrieve my men. And to announce that, for as long as Joe acknowledges Frank Hardy as his blood brother, the Guild will not accept any death contract on him."

That announcement caught everyone by surprise. All the assassins were staring at their chief in shock. It was clear to the Hardys that even The Old Man and Reiko were astounded by that. Only Banz stood calmly by, seemingly unaffected.

"That is unprecedented." The Old Man commented.

"But father, we needed …" Chaerea started to protest, but was silenced by a stern glare from his father.

"_He_ spared _your_ life." Nizari said forcefully, then continued in a much softer tone,"I do not wish to lose my only remaining son … and then there is also a matter of honor."

Then he turned to leave, clearly expecting the others to follow. But Joe halted him.

"Chief Nizari…" Joe called out.

Nizari stopped and waited.

"Fire-ice Cherries grow only in the most inhospitable environment…" Joe began.

And both the father and son whipped around to look at Joe. It was clear to Frank that they were desperate for that piece of information.

"The world was sandwiched between three red stars, and knew only fiery heat of almost eternal hot dry summers… but for very brief freezing winters that occur once every hundred years…" Joe continued as everyone listened in rapt attention to the description that unfolds.

"Fire-ice Cherry bushes blooms in the few hours when summer fades off to winter. The petals shed at the touch of the first snow. But it gets cold long before that. The berries must be picked within the hour, or it will be buried under hundreds of feet of snow…"

Looking directly at Yigal Nizari, Joe told him, "the Fire-ice Cherry bushes will bloom again in 10 days' time."

"Where… where is the world located?" Chaerea asked.

Joe reached into his pocket and took out two little silvery discs. He handed it over to the Chief Assassin.

"The world is under the guardianship of Elemental Pixies. These two passes will allow two men entry to harvest 10 cherries each via a teleportation spell to be activated at Teleportation Central." Joe said.

Frank thought he saw tears in Chief Nizari's eyes as he looked down at the silvery discs in his hand.

"Thank you." Chaerea said. "I'm sorry about…"

"I understand. " Joe cut him off. "I'd do what needs to be done for my brothers too… and you do _not_ need the Storm Blade to harvest the cherries."

_'Brothers?'_ Frank thought, taking a good look at Banz for the first time. He recalled Chaerea calling Banz and Joe Soul Brothers. He wondered what exactly that meant. Were they close? Of course they were, Frank admitted as he noted the way Banz watched over Joe, and recalled how they covered for each other during the space combat. And he watched Banz walked up to Chaerea and handed the young assassin two small blades.

"These are elemental blades used by the Elemental Pixies to harvest the cherries." Banz told Chaerea.

"Phaedro will know he owed his life to both of you." Yigal said. "Let it be known the Nizaris owe Banz Kalosis and his Soul Brother three blood debts. We will honor them."

With that, Yigal Nizari turned and left. The other assassins followed close behind.

The six of them silently stood and watched the eight assassins disappear into the forest before them.

It was Reiko who broke the silence this time.

"_Three_ blood debts?" Reiko queried. It was clear from her tone that this was an unusual occurrence.

"You have the Nizaris in your debt. They made powerful allies." The Old Man approvingly. "You did well, my son. And you too, Kalosis."

"Thank you, father," Joe said.

The Hardys felt a little uncomfortable at that reference. But since they were obviously the outsider here, they held their curiosity. Hopefully, it won't be too long before they could get some private time with Joe and get some answers off him.

"Thank you, my lord," Banz responded.

"When Phaedro Nizari is fully recovered from his injuries, you will call on one of the blood debt and bring him to the High Council." The Old Man told them.

Both Banz and Joe gave an affirmative nod.

Then Reiko gestured at Frank and said to Banz and Joe, "I do hope you know who wants Frank dead and why …There is still the Hashashin, and about two dozen other minor guilds… I do not relish the thought of dealing with all those guilds one by one…"

Frank paled and gulped. _Hashashin Assassins?_ He tried to recall what he knew about those elite killers from his history classes. Then he remembered this was a different universe he was in. And he looked at Joe and his parents in panic. He had not thought of that … and no, he did not want that either. He never felt that much out of control in his life. Then he heard a voice in his head.

_'You'll be fine, big brother'_ Joe said to him mind to mind.

Frank blinked and gave his head a hard shake, just to make sure he wasn't imagining it, before turning to stare at Joe again.

_'You can project your thoughts to me too …'_ Joe told him, his voice thick with emotion. _'We can practise at that later…and Frank? I miss you ….'_

"The person who could end it with the least fuss…will try to remedy the situation..." Joe said carefully.

The Old Man stared intently at Joe, "And?"

Joe turned red, but Frank could see his lips quivered just a little. Banz also turned an interesting shade of red. Frank thought he looked like he was about to explode into a laughing fit.

The Old Man and Reiko focused at Joe for a moment. It was clear to the Hardys there was some sort of telepathic communication going on.

Then Reiko looked mortified. She covered her face with her hands and groaned, "Joe … tell me you are joking … I _did not_ put myself on the Magyar blacklist for that … that… that _stupid_ reason!"

"Tell me you did not!" The Old Man glared at Banz and Joe.

"You two should know better! Have you considered the ramifications of your actions?" He grounded out through clenched teeth, clearly extremely irate.

The Hardys noted that both Banz and Joe first looked sort of contrite. Then they looked decidedly uncomfortable, perhaps even bordering on guilty. Finally, both Banz and Joe seemed to whither a little under The Old Man's continued fierce scrutiny.

"Excuse me, but can I know the reason why those assassins were sent after me?" Frank asked, hoping to draw some attention away from his poor little brother.

The Old Man turned his baleful glare at Frank.

But Frank stood his ground and held his stand, even though he was really trembling on the inside. He could not understand what it was about this particular old man that produced such a reaction from him. Then Frank noticed that his hand was trembling and quickly hid it behind his back, and returned his gaze to The Old Man.

Suddenly, The Old Man smiled. Then he laughed.

"Your brother can be foolhardy when it comes to you, doesn't he?" He asked of Joe.

Joe shot Frank a grateful smile, and did not reply.

Frank heaved a sigh of relief. But he had not gotten his answer yet. Not that he wanted to challenge The Old Man for that now. His heart had barely stop racing and he doubt if his heart could survive another such confrontation at the moment.

"Frank, a word of advice. Until you understand the rules and laws of this world, I suggest you refrain yourself from such foolhardy actions. Lest you get yourself into trouble which even your brother can't get you out of," The Old Man said.

Then he turned towards Banz and Joe, and curtly demanded, "Now. Explain. How did you two let that happened? And young lady, what exactly are you thinking when you decide to pull that stunt!"


	10. TBMBSH Episode 9

**Dear readers, I've finally finished the revamp and the update chapter. Sorry for taking so long, I was distracted by the bad weather and a bad story and a bad bug ... thanks for your patience. The scene here is finally set, all the key characters are in place ... and all is ready for the real adventure to begin in the second story (see below for summary)!**

**Bhar: thanks for the power wishing - it helped heaps.**

**RagnaIce: Hope this is not too Icelandic-saga-ish for you**

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**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 9 _

**To Bring my Brother Safely Home **

**_A_** feminine form shimmered right next to Banz.

For some reason, Frank found his eyes being drawn almost uncontrollably over to her. She was fair, so fair. She had a pixie-like face, and had pointy ears. Like that of an elf. She even dressed like an elf would, well at least according to the set of Lord of the Rings as directed by Peter Jackson. Her large translucent pale blue eyes stared straight back into his as she noted his attention. Frank blushed, his face turning bright red. Social etiquette would have dictate he stopped staring. It was rude. But he could not help but continue to stare into those pale blue orbs.

No one missed that exchange between the two.

It was the young woman who first broke that eye contact. Turning to The Old Man, she said, "Please do not blame the two of them. I forced them to bring me along … And, it is my mother who sent those assassins after your retrieval subject."

Frank's mouth opened in shock.

Fenton's senses went on alert. But there was nothing he could do here in this world. He had no resources, no contacts, nothing. He turned to look at Joe. He could only hope his youngest know what to do. Then, the boys had always been fiercely protective of each other. He could be certain that Joe would do all he could for his brother. Wouldn't he? He felt his wife's grip tightened on him, and he returned a firm and comforting embrace. He felt his tension and fears eased a little when Joe again returned him a reassuring smile.

"Now, Ceri Glynnis of the Valley of Seers, do you…" The Old Man started, but was interrupted by Ceri as she suddenly tilted her head to one side and then her lips tightened.

"There is no time for explanations now. She's here." She said to The Old Man. "Would you be the witness to the initial bonding?"

The Old Man nodded, but turned an inquiring look at Joe, even as He asked of her "You know you are placing yourself at a great disadvantage, Ceri."

Ceri nodded, and then turned to Joe asking, "Is he an honorable man?"

"Yes," Joe responded without hesitation.

Ceri walked up to Frank and placed her right palm over his heart and recited the lines to an ancient bonding ritual:

_Heart to heart and Soul to Soul _

_Chosen by destiny for love to grow _

_Freely I bind my life to thee _

_One day may you set me free _

_And freely bind your heart and soul to me. _

Frank felt something shifted somewhere in the region of his heart, but he knew not what. But he knew without doubt he was given something really priceless.

Then he could feel something screeching in the breeze. And the breeze quickly escalated into a merciless gale. But the group of people had stood unaffected, protected by a protective shielding spell cast by Banz Kalosis. Frank could still see the fading glow of the runes that was used to create the magical shield.

"How dared you… do you know what you have done!" A female voice thundered through the howling winds.

"Yes mother, I bind my life to that of my Soul Mate. If you kill him, you kill me too." Ceri announced her voice strong and clear above the ruckus of the storm.

"He is not worthy of you! You have a destiny to fulfill…"

"He is chosen by Lady Destiny to be my Soul Mate, mother." Ceri cut in. "The binding would not have worked otherwise, and you know it."

Frank followed the exchange as if he was caught in a dream. He was still a little stunned over the new information he got. What the heck?! She … married him?! From the corner of his eye, he could see his parents were equally shocked. He supposed it wasn't everyday that parents found out that both their sons were …'married' … just like that.

"Not if he is dead," came an angry and vicious response. "And then we can choose another more worthy of your stature. And someone who could break the curse hanging over our people for the last thousand years…"

By then, all could see a matured woman walked out of the storm to stand before them all. They could almost see the anger and rage swirling all around her.

"You can still fulfill your destiny and help your people, Ceri… kill him… you can still kill him…"

A crystal dagger appeared right before Frank, floating eerily before him. Frank jumped back in shock, to find Ceri standing right next to him, her hands holding his in a reassuring grip.

"Mother… He IS my destiny… and have you considered the possibility that what you want is not my destiny?" Ceri said in a firm tone, as she dissolved the crystal dagger with a wave of her hand.

The older lady glared at her daughter, "kill him. Now."

"No."

"If you still refused, Ceri, I will de-"

"Think carefully before you utter those words, Seeress Glynnis." The Old Man snapped at her. "Those words that once uttered cannot be taken back."

Frank turned and saw the pained and tense look in Ceri's eyes. He wondered again at his luck at having such an interesting woman as a soul mate, whatever a soul mate really means in terms of a relationship. He might not understand it now, but he would remember and appreciate what she did for him. And he would honor whatever he was supposed to honor.

"Do not interfere in family matters, Old Man!" Seeress Glynnis spat out. Then turning to Ceri, she threatened. "One last chance, Ceri…"

Ceri repositioned herself before Frank, stuck out her chin, and said clearly and firmly, "No."

"Then you leave me no choice, Ceri." Seeress Glynnis said. "I denounce you as daughter and denounce you as my heir."

Ceri paled, but held her ground.

Seeress Glynnis stared at all of them, her anger and hatred clear in her eyes. She glared at Frank again. "You stole her from me. And know that by doing so you killed her." Turning to Ceri, she said, "I am sorry, but you must die, so your sister could take your place as heir and successor."

"Kill them…"She ordered as she faded away into the storm. "Kill them all…"

Shadows of perhaps a dozen or more figures flashed before them, and then disappeared.

"The Hashashins…" Ceri told the others in a tense voice.

Everything happened at once.

Banz had immediately cast another spell as he moved. This time the glowing runes did not fade away but marked two clear concentric circles on the ground. And the three Hardys found themselves in the centre and within the smaller circle. The other five stood in the outer circle in a defensive perimeter.

Frank felt fear growing and threatened to overwhelm him. Not for himself, but for the others. He saw his dad holding his mother protectively in his arms. For a moment, Frank wondered if he was worth all the trouble. Maybe he should just let go… he was supposed to be dead already back on earth anyway…

"Of course you are!" He heard Joe's voice hissed fiercely in his mind. "Don't you dare think these silly thoughts again, big brother!"

"Banz, Rei, two dozens elite assasins. I am sure you can handle them. I want them alive but appropriately disabled for a suitable duration. Go!" The Old Man ordered.

The two nodded and disappeared.

Frank blinked and resisted the urge to rub his eyes.

"Joe, there is a Hashashin shaman. Take him out. I want him incapacitated for magic, but alive. Go!"

Joe nodded and disappeared too.

Before them, they saw flashes of light here and there. Heard a few grunts and omphs here and there. But nothing breached the protective magical shield that Banz casted. Actually, nothing even came close to touching that shield. The Hardys did not know that of course. But Ceri did. Her eyes widened in surprise.

She turned to The Old Man. "Frank Hardy is not as ordinary as my mother thought, is he?"

The Old Man smiled.

"Would you like to help pare down the numbers a little for Banz and Reiko? They'll appreciate some assistance."

Ceri nodded and drew her bow and arrows. Frank watched as she fired three arrows at once, and three bodies fell onto the ground about thirty meters from them.

"Good shot, Ceri. And only marginal disabling wounds. I presume those were stun-arrows?" The Old Man queried.

"Yes" Ceri said as she drew another three arrows. "You wanted them alive, right?"

It wasn't long before the two dozen elites were piled before The Old Man. And to the side, Joe stood, holding the Shaman in a firm grip. The Old Man moved to stand before all of them.

"Return to your hirer, Seeress Glynnis, and tell her that her heir lives. Tell her that destiny cannot be denied, and the chosen cannot be changed. And when the time is right, the heir will return, with her mate by her side, to reclaim her birthright."

**_HBHBHB _**

Much later, the entire group was back at the damaged ship and was busy making the repairs. It didn't take long for Banz, Ceri, Joe and Reiko to affect the repairs and prepare for take-off.

During that time, The Old Man had filled in the three Hardys with some background information to the reasons for the retrievals. The information was scanty, but in part due to the fact that they have not been given the necessary security clearance. Well, they were technically not even supposed to exist yet in this world! All The Old Man would say was that an entire race alien to this universe had somehow arrive and they had set about conquering this entire universe and obliterating all what they considered non-human life-forms. This universe, so used to fighting challenges and simply assassinating their enemies, were not used to the type of war being waged by the newcomers. So they had started retrieving beings from worlds and universes that did have the proper experience. But there were conditions governing those retrievals and only a handful, like the Hardys, could be retrieved from each world. But they would be given details later. Then Banz had interrupted the narration, saying the repairs were done and they were ready to leave.

The Old Man called Joe aside and passed him a little cube.

"I've requested for a three months break from active duty for you, Banz and Reiko. You'll all be heading back into the Academy. Joe, this is Frank's training schedule. You might want to see if you can improve on it."

Joe took the cube and activated it. Frank saw a series of screens and holograms, none of which he understood. He watched as Joe shifted several items between screens, and even rearranged some screens just like Tom Cruise did in Minority Report. This world was a salad of science and magic, Frank thought, still amazed at everything he had seen. He knew he was in for a major paradigm shift in thinking. Then he saw Joe frown as he tried to align several different screens. It clearly was not working. And then Banz walked over and passed Joe another cube and merged the two. Banz gave the screens a few more adjustments and everything fell into place. Frank did not miss the grateful look that Joe had flashed the red headed young man. Joe gave the screens a final perusal, and gave a satisfied smile before passing the little cube back to his godfather.

The Old Man gave an approving note. "I supposed Frank can stay with the two of you during his training. I'll see to it that the council approves."

Then He turned to face everyone and said: "Alright. Its time to get going. Banz, you take Ceri with you on your Guardian. Joe, you take Frank. The rest of us will follow on the ship. And we'll meet on Starship Rendezvous in three standard hours."

**_HBHBHB _**

Up in the cockpit in the Guardian with Joe, Frank could not help but feel a sense of apprehension as he watched the stars twinkling in the distance. They did not chat, and he was contented to just sit back and enjoy the sight of his brother piloting the craft. The events of the last 24 hours had been overwhelming, and it had shaken his sense of stability and security.

"Joe?" Frank suddenly called out to his brother. The thought of having those assassins after him was depressing. Would he even live long enough to settle in this world?

Joe turned and looked at him, "Yes?"

"Promise me you won't risk your life for mine unnecessarily…" Joe had a mate, and probably a home too. Frank did not want Joe to sacrifice his happiness for him who did not even belong here yet…

He saw Joe's hand reached over for his, and gave him a quick and tight squeeze. Then he heard Joe's voice again in his mind, "Don't worry big brother, No matter what, I'll always see you safely home."

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**This also spells the end of the first story, and the next story will continue in episode 10 called: Big Brother, Blood Brother, and Soul Brother. Summary: The brothers were settling down at the Academy. In the midst of training and studies. they had to deal with the complexity of relationships ranging from brotherhood to soul mates. Frank struggled with his latent talents, about to magnifest uncontrollably. How does Frank handle being out of control? Fenton and Laura also had their hands full with their own problems in the new world. Then tragedy strucks.**

**Please review!**


	11. BBBBSB Episode 10

**Hi - next episode up. This one's a little more introspective, just something to start things off and set the scene of things to come. Hope you like it. And I thought it was good to give Laura a part in this story too.**

**Bhar: I know you asked for some chapters in Fenton's perspective. This story starts with Laura and ends with Fenton, a couple of chapters running. **

**RagnaICE: Thanks for your efforts to comment properly, I very much appreciate your efforts. I hope this story will be more 'normal' in terms of conversations and behavior since it focused more on the relationship with only a small number of action, and a major space battle.  
**

**And YAY, another new reviewer! Welcome Suganya! please do continue reviewing! But more importantly, enjoy the adventures up coming! Cheers!  
**

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**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 10 _

**Big Brother Blood Brother Soul Brother **

**_Laura_** Hardy glanced at the digital timepiece that adorned the wall opposite the kitchen wall.

"18th hundred hours standard galactic time," the clock told her.

Laura sighed. What a strange AI. Why bother telling her the time _after_ it saw her read the time?

She was still trying to get used to the idiosyncrasies of this new world she found herself in after death. And it was after death, for she was supposed to have been killed in a drug raid by a Colombian lord back on earth almost a month back. Not only her, but also her husband Fenton and elder son Frank.

But then they did not die. They were retrieved by an old man and a young lady and taken into space, through some sort of a portal, into this world. And more than that, they found out their younger son, Joe, who had gone missing over three years back, was also saved from death and retrieved and currently striving in this world. Well, sort of striving. As much as she loved seeing Joe again, she did not really know how to handle the battle-hardened young man. Even as she acknowledged that Joe had always made an effort to present to her the side of him which she was more familiar with. And she appreciated that effort and that consideration immensely.

And she feared that soon Frank would also go the same way. The Old Man, whoever and whatever he was, beyond being a member of the High Council, had made it clear that the reason for retrieval was to help them fight a war, and one of galactic proportions. She did not like the idea. But there was nothing she could do about it. Would it have been better if they were never retrieved? Then she would never see Joe again, a tiny voice told her from the back of her mind. And Joe would live out his life totally alone here… Laura supposed this way; at least the family was together once more…

And Joe… It was good to see him again. She knew her husband and Frank felt the same too …

How could she even imagine what a galactic war was like? The biggest war she ever knew of was the Second World War back on earth. And even then, that occurred before her time. She had no conception what it was like to live in a time of war, and to live through a war. But she knew it involved deaths. And that was not good. She knew it involved killing, and that was worse.

They were currently living on an asteroid. The entire city was built on the asteroid and this city was called Oasis. Oasis was located a fair distance away from the frontier where the war was taking place. And it was built for the Academy. In preparation for war, which she was told, was inevitable. Because the enemy was bent on imposing their own laws; and exterminating any non-human life-form regardless of its sentience.

Now, she found herself in a totally different world and immersed in a totally different culture altogether. That did take some getting used to. She turned back to the food cooking on the kitchen stove. But some things never changed. People still have to work or study, and they still have to eat. And her sons would be home soon, from their day at the Academy.

She smiled wistfully. She wished this could last forever. But she knew this was only for two more months. The Old Man had said Joe and Banz were off active duty for three months, and the first month had already gone by…

And sons. It was so strange. To have three 'sons' in their early twenties living in the same apartment with her and Fenton. Back on earth, the children would have moved out at eighteen, nineteen latest. She shook her head. And she gained a third son. Banz Kalosis. With his fiery red hair and emerald green eyes. She had seen his prowess as a fighter and seen him cast spells, in defence of her family. Joe had told them that it was Banz's contribution and sacrifice that had enabled them to live in this very apartment. She recalled Banz handing Joe a little cube and how they merged. And when Joe said that Banz was an orphan, she and Fenton had unhesitatingly offered to unofficially take him in as 'son'. Banz was already Joe's Soul Brother anyway. The apartment was small with only two bedrooms. She and Fenton were given the master bedroom with the ensuite, and the three boys had taken the second bedroom and cramped themselves in somehow. She knew there were only two beds in the second room, and had sneaked a peek at how the boys were managing once. She was shocked to see Banz sleeping on a rope stretched across the room.

"Training," he had told her with a casual shrug of his broad shoulders. "And it will be Joe's turn next week" he added. She closed the bedroom door.

And then there was the issue that both her natural borne sons had soul mates. Which was sort of like wives. But not quite. But they would eventually bond fully and be properly mated. That was what she meant by the idiosyncrasies of this world. At least back on earth, either you were married or you were not. Here you could be soul mated but only partially bonded. Whatever that was supposed to mean, Laura sighed in frustration.

Reiko had returned to stay with her mother, which was of course expected. And Ceri and gone with her. It seemed like both were fast becoming good friends. She supposed it was a good thing to have the two daughter-in-laws on good terms with each other. And they had dropped by each weekend for a meal.

Then Laura turned her thoughts to Frank and she frowned a little. Her poor elder son was having a hard time. She could tell. He was brilliant back on earth, his IQ placed him within the top two percent of the population, and he was a member of the MENSA. But everything he knew and learnt from earth was barely applicable here. He had to relearn so much, and in such a short time-frame too! She could still remember the nights when he sat in the living room his face buried in the books or his personal mobile computing unit and AI trying to work out the problems. And Joe was there most of the time, patiently explaining the logic (or illogic) behind each problem.

It did not escape her notice that there was lots of tension underlying the brotherly relationship among the three. Banz and Frank had alternated between wanting to monopolize Joe and feeling guilty and literally throwing Joe at the other brother for quality time. And the unintentional but constantly alternating game of tug-of-war and ping-pong between the two had left Joe far more confused than he should be… but it was clear that Joe had matured well in the last three years. He was still coping with Banz and Frank and had yet to lose his temper. But she wondered how long more he could keep his temper under control.

She was not doing too badly in this world, if truth be told. She was a normal housewife in her former existence. But here in this world, her skills in cooking was actually very much appreciated. Apparently, food was the BIG thing here, and there weren't many good cooks around. So back on earth she was merely skilled. Here, they said she had _mastery_ over culinary preparation. That sounded cool, did it not?

Laura laughed as she recalled when she, her husband and Frank first walked out of …well … their version of an immigration department after registering their presence in this world. Joe was there waiting beyond the gates, and he looked so embarrassed that she wondered what happened. And behind him stood a whole gang of people, including The Old Man and Reiko and Swordmistress Isogawa, all with this hopeful expectant expression on their faces.

She found out later that Joe had been boasting of all the great food of earth, and also of her culinary skills. And they were all waiting for her to request for a cooked meal or two. How could she refuse? The moment she said 'yes'; Reiko and Banz had rushed off. And next she knew, she was standing before a makeshift garden barbeque grill and an electric oven in a garden. And she was flabbergasted to find two huge containers of frozen pizzas amongst all the other junk food like frozen pies and potato chips. It seemed that Joe's version of good food was junk food. Poor poor them… and that was just so Joe! And it did seem that Reiko and The Old Man had done some serious shopping before coming to their rescue.

And she was now just a week away from getting her own Chef license, with which she could work as a chef, and later perhaps even opening her own eatery, if she saved enough capital. She could not help but to feel excited about that prospect.

Then her eye fell on Fenton. He was sitting quietly by the window, staring into nothingness. He was doing that a lot recently. She supposed he had it hardest of all. At least Frank was here for a reason. And she found something she could do. It was not that there was no need for private investigators here. Someone somewhere would always needed something found. But this world was so different, and the rules were so different, that he could not port over his skills from earth to here. And the other part of investigative work was the network of contacts and informants that was built up through the years. He had neither of those here. Finally, he was almost fifty, making it much harder to start over. If Frank was struggling, Fenton had it many times worse.

Yes, she was most concerned over her husband. Even though he had worked hard to keep all his fears and insecurities from all of them. And he had been supportive of her and her desire to get out there and do something with her life. So Fenton, working to ease her fears even when he was drowning in his own. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. He turned and looked at her and gave her a small smile. 'Don't worry about me' he seemed to project to her. But she could still see the sadness deep in his dark brown eyes. Her heart went out to him, and she tightened her embrace in hopes of being able to take over some of that sadness. That was all she could do for now. And later, maybe, when Fenton was ready to talk, she might be able to do more. For now, they would simply enjoy each other's company and what they could.

It was not long before the door bell rang. And she knew, they were home again for the day. They both turned towards the door and smiled. It was always a good feeling, seeing their sons back home each day. And they hoarded those moments jealously.

The door opened and three young men burst through. It looked like all three were in high spirits, especially Frank. He passed his theory paper and was ready for his first practical pilot lesson. It was great news. And both Laura and Fenton were proud of how quickly Frank was learning. But they could not resist the feeling of apprehension slowly rising. Both exchanged a nervous look, which all three young men had missed, lost in the exuberance of the day's good news. Every successful achievement by Frank meant that he was a step closer to being ready for combat… and it was not what any parent would want to look forward to for their child.


	12. BBBBSB Episode 11

**Another episode up! lol - I know I have only a handful of readers for this epic, yet I can't help but love this tale best. Even though it is so un-hardy-ish. Isn't that strange?  
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**Bhar: You should have no problem reviewing from this chapter on, I believe. What happened was when I revamp, I reduce the number of chapters. Since readers are allowed only one review per chapter, and you've reviewed till chapter 11, as I was up to chapter 11 the last time, you can't submit a second review. So you have to search for the slot/chapter which you have not reviewed yet.  
**

**Suganya: Thanks. Glad you like it.  
**

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**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 11 _

**Big Brother Blood Brother Soul Brother **

**_Joe_** Hardy sat by the window relaxing and watching the rest of his family interacts with each other.

Frank was happily trying to explain to his father the difference between the Quantum Physics and Aerodynamics of earth, and that of Dimensional Geometry of this world. Joe sort of knew that he would meet up with Frank again some day. But he still had not expected it to come true. He was immensely grateful to his godfather for bringing his parents along as well. And he was happy to see Frank settling well into his classes and training schedule at the Academy. Strangely, he had never recalled seeing his big brother so relaxed back on earth. Even though Frank breezed through his classes back there, and struggled with his over here. Joe supposed that had to do with the chance to be 'normal' here rather than being one of the 'exceptional' students back there. And here Frank also had Banz as his 'big brother'.

Joe smiled grimly as he recalled the first day at the Academy when Frank had walked straight into the class bully. Sadly, you get those everywhere, even here. He had moved quickly to intercede. Until his brother mastered his skills and talents, he would be at the mercy of those bullies, and Joe would have to be there for him in the meantime. Frank had always protected him back in Bayport Elementary and Bayport High, and the role reversal had felt strange to him. And he knew Frank would have felt uneasy about that as well. But Banz had moved in before him and announced that Frank was his little brother and under his protection. He had sounded so much like Frank too, that he was sure Frank like him had felt a sense of déjà vu. And Joe would remember that expression on Frank's face for a long time…

Thinking about the relationship between Banz and Frank, and them and him, made Joe frown a little. The whole thing was just so complicated. Yet so simple. He now got two big brothers struggling to play big brother to him without stepping on each other's toes. Frank was trying to figure out how he could still play the protective big brother at a point in time when he was still so vulnerable. At the same time, he was enjoying the chance of being the little brother and having Banz do his protective big brother bit, even as he loathed admitting it. But then Frank had to feel guilty about not being able to protect his younger brother, and having burdened his brothers, and not doing his share of being a brother. And no one guilt-trip like Frank did. And Banz, Banz had become a little more reserved in his attitude towards him, especially when Frank was around. He did not want Frank to get the wrong impression over these complex brother-relations. So there existed this uneasy truce where Banz play big brother to Frank, and sort of leave Frank to play big brother to him, and then him to play soul brother to Banz.

Argh! Joe grimaced. He really hated all these silly delicate maneuvering around one Soul Brother and one Blood Brother and two equally stubborn Big Brothers.

Joe turned his attention to Banz, who was helping his mom do the dishes, and clearly enjoying playing the dutiful son. Yes, his Soul Brother was orphaned as a kid when his entire family was assassinated by a rival clan. He never had a father or mother to look up to and play son to. But he always wanted to. And Joe was proud that his parents had seen that need and offered to play that role. And Banz had soaked up the opportunity like a thirsty sponge soaking up water.

For a moment, Joe simply leaned back against the window and simply enjoyed the happy family tableau spread out before him. He felt contented.

It would not last too long though. He knew that his family wanted answers, and those he could not give them just yet. His godfather had explained that reasons for retrieval and the background information were classified secrets, for the protection of each retrieval subject. And that they did not have the necessary security clearance… yet. And he had alluded to the fact that Frank will get access to higher security clearance as he complete his training and get started on missions. And his parents had been contented to wait till Frank gets there and confirmed with them everything was 'standard'. But Joe knew that it would be highly unlikely for Frank to get to the level of clearance needed to access his files. For only those with the highest security clearance could access it. In fact, the key information was not even on file. And only The Old Man knew the entire story. Banz knew a good portion of it because of his involvement. Reiko had her suspicions, and he was glad she had respected his privacy and never asked directly. It was extremely difficult to deny your Soul Mate anything in this world. Lady Destiny had made it that way, for the purpose of ensuring relationships last. No, he was not a standard retrieval at all…

_'… and may God save his hide when Frank realizes the truth about his security clearance…no…' _Joe amended_, 'May Lady Destiny provides me with a back door when Frank finds out…' _

Joe shook his head and returned his attention to his family. He noticed that Frank had finished narrating his tale for the day, and it was now his turn. He stood up and moved towards his Dad. He felt a little saddened by the fact that his father seemed to have shrunk in stature since arriving in this world. His father had grown rather dependent on them talking to him, telling him about their activities, seeking his opinion. Both he and Frank had obliged, knowing that their father needed it.

And today, Joe resolved that things would change. He would help give his father a portion of his life back to him.

"Dad," Joe called out. "Let's go out for a walk tonight…"

His father looked surprise, but was more than willing to go out. Joe felt a tad guilty. His father must have been so bored being stuck in this apartment for weeks. He wished he had remembered this particular friend of his a little earlier. But he had been so distracted helping Frank to settle in, and making sure Frank caught up in his studies at the Academy.

They had left the apartment together. The father and son walked down the streets heading towards the town center of Oasis City in companionable silence.

This was an artificial city constructed on an asteroid, but it did look like New York City in some ways with its skyscrapers and dark alleys. Only it was a lot smaller, with a population of only about 800,000. Gravity was artificially generated. As was the skies above. However, 800,000 were considered a big population in this world. And only a quarter of those are humans. The other three quarters were alien races. Which he supposed made Oasis rather cosmopolitan in earth terms.

Joe could see that his father was surprised when he turned into a tiny and almost hidden alleyway. They went down a set of steps and there before them was a very cozy looking little café bar. This was his favorite bar since the first day he accidentally stepped into it. They did not sell alcoholic drinks here, only coffee and good cheap steaming hot food to go with it. The bartender was a non-humanoid with two heads and six arms. She made good coffee mocktails, and she always had a soft spot for him.

"Hey Gracha," Joe greeted her. "How's your day? And this is my dad, Fenton Hardy."

"Great day, and nice to meet you Fenton," Gracha returned the greeting. "Good to have you here to take this little brat in hand … he's a menace, but I suppose you know that already…"

Joe laughed as his father rolled his eyes and replied, "I try, I try…"

"And Goran's waiting for you in his usual corner," Gracha added as she nodded towards a half hidden alcove.

Joe could see that his dad's curiosity was piqued, and that was good.

"Hey Joe!" Goran called out as he saw Joe making his way to this alcove. "And you must be Fenton! I'm so pleased to finally get to meet you. Joe's been telling me all about you and your many cases."

"Please to meet you too," Fenton responded as he shook hands with Goran. "I hope he'd been telling you only the good bits."

"Dad, Goran here is sort of like a social worker back on earth." Joe explained. "He helped the poorer beings out here who could not afford to pay professional investigators for help. He's currently rather over-worked, and needed some help, so I volunteered your services… "

Fenton was surprised by that. He had not expected this at all. But he should have known. His younger son had always been a sensitive person, and would have picked up his sense of uselessness in this world. But to find a way for him to continue doing what he loved? He could feel the excitement in him stirring. He felt alive again…

"I would love to help out," Fenton said as he looked into Goran's expectant face. "But I am not sure if I could be much of a help since I am still rather new to this place…"

"Don't worry about that… we'll start you on the paperwork part to get you more familiar with the rules and laws here first… and social cases tend to be simple boring cases anyway …" Goran interrupted. "In fact, I am worried that you might find all these too boring after all the exciting cases you've had from your previous existence!"

"Don't believe what my son tells you. He does have a tendency to embellish his stories," Fenton said. "Most of my cases were boring and tedious insurance fraud cases. Bread and butter cases tend to be like that…"

And Joe sat back and listened to his father chat with Goran. It was great to see his father so animated and truly alive again. And the two of them had hit off well and were now deep in conversations as if they were old friends instead of having met just minutes ago.

"… case of the missing child…"

"… have you considered…"

"… interesting view… never considered that…"

And so he sat there and he watched and he listened in contentment.

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**Please review! **


	13. BBBBSB Episode 12

**Okay folks, this is the real update... hope you guys enjoy it. Sorry for the confusion, but from episode 14 on will be action and well sort of tragedy until the big tragedy at the end of this story... **

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**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 12 _

**Big Brother Blood Brother Soul Brother **

**_It_** was a day off from the Academy, and none appreciated that break more than the five youths currently strolling down the main street of Oasis City.

For Banz and Joe and Reiko, it was their first true break in two years. For Frank, it offered his over-worked brains some time off, and also time enjoy a little date with Ceri. Likewise, Ceri was taking that opportunity to spend time with her Soul Mate, and to take a break from the rigor and discipline of the Academy.

They were all heading towards the City Square to attend the Stardust Carnival. The asteroid on which Oasis was built is currently passing through a cosmic dust cloud. The result was a spectacular blend of fiery sunset and comet showers. The Governor of Oasis had authorized the shutdown of the artificial sky generator for 48 hours so all residents of Oasis can enjoy the natural beauty of the phenomena fully.

The Stardust Carnival was not unlike the carnivals back on Earth. There were multitudes of performances, games, and an abundance of food stalls. The five youths however had their dinner packed in a picnic hamper by Laura Hardy. They were there to enjoy the performances and the games. There might be an abundance of food, but sadly most of them were barely edible.

The so called City Square was actually a huge open field right in the centre of Oasis City. Oasis residents used it to host events such as arts and games carnivals and festivals to entertain themselves. One must understand that since the Academy is located here, entry and exit to this world was a little stricter. Casual tourists were almost non-existent. And despite the 800,000 sized populations, almost everyone knew almost everyone else.

Frank Hardy grimaced at that last fact. He might have photographic memory by Earth standards, but even this was pushing the limits of his brain capacity.

"Don't stress yourself overly over that, Frank… we're here to enjoy the performances," Joe said with a laugh.

Frank sighed, "I am still amazed at how you guys remember all those faces… I understand the necessity for security reasons, but still … well, just how did you manage, Joe?"

"Tell you a secret Frank, I don't. Remember most of them, I mean." Joe told Frank in a serious tone. "I know this world's a little overwhelming… but truth be told, lots of things from our old world applies. When you're more settled here, you'll be doing what we all are doing… simply picking up on usual behavior rather than unfamiliar faces…"

"Ah…"

"Frank… don't push yourself too hard… just relax and enjoy what you can of this world, okay? There's still a long road ahead, and if you give your all now, there'll be nothing left when the real crisis hits…"

"When did you get so wise, Joe?"

"I've been through all that Frank… and trust me… breaking down in this world is no fun…" Joe said, his tone subdued, and his eyes darkened with an intensity that Frank had never seen before.

Frank shivered, and for the first time, he wasn't sure he wanted to know what exactly Joe went through during those three years.

"Ah, here we are… here, grab those bales of hay big bro… and we better head back before the girls come searching for us!"

**_The_** performances were spectacular! But that was nothing compared to the sight of the meteor showers that was visible during that twenty minutes when the asteroid faded totally into the shadows, and the natural night sky became alight with the sparkles of a zillion falling stars.

"Make a wish, Frank, make a wish." Frank heard his brother whisper to him.

It was an Earth tradition, that if one made a wish upon a falling star, that wish will come true. Would that apply to a meteor shower? But wish Frank did.

He wished for them all to come home on this Alien land.

All too soon, the asteroid moved back into the path of a distant star, and the natural sky brightens once more. The meteor showers faded away, to be replaced by a blazing purple sunset.

Next to him, Ceri snuggled deeper into his arms. Frank look down to see her gazing up at him, stars in her eyes. When did he get so lucky? He could not resist the urge to bend down and give her a quick kiss. And that drag on a little, no a lot longer than he intended.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he noted that Joe and Reiko were having their own little snuggle time too. Banz, on the other hand, had disappeared. It was obvious he was giving them some privacy. But Frank knew that Banz would not be far away. Banz was very protective of Joe… and of him too.

Privacy was a rare commodity in this crowded Oasis City. And Frank treasured this tiny fragment of privacy with Ceri greatly.

That night, he and Ceri had their first heart to heart chat. He confessed to her all his fears and his sense of inadequacies. How he felt so destabilized in this new and alien environment. That despite his rather exceptional life experience, he wasn't sure if he was ready to face war. How he still shield away from the idea that he might have to kill, even as he mastered those deadly swordplay and the space flight. He confessed his relief not to be ranked top of the class as he had been back on earth, because it frees him from the burden of expectations. Most of all, he confessed to her that he wasn't sure if he'd be able to live up to being her Soul Mate and help her regain her rightful inheritance and help to save her people as she was meant to do.

He had asked her how to complete the bonding fully, but she never answered. She merely told him that he needed time to settle into this world first, and when he fully accepted everything from the depths of his soul, he would know what to do. He always felt as if he failed her somehow. She just smiled and said she understood well that some things just could not be rushed, and she could wait.

Ceri had been just remarkable. She told him that she had given up on her inheritance the day she made her choice to be bonded with him. Ceri said she was sure Lady Destiny had a plan in mind when She chose a Soul Mate for her. So Frank could never let her down. And she dared him to think otherwise.

Frank realized that Ceri was like Joe in many ways; Feisty, witty, caring, loyal and sensitive. Again, he appreciated how lucky he was to have her.

And to have Joe as his brother.

Then there was Banz. He would always remember the way that young man stood up for him before those bullies and announced that Frank was his 'little brother' too. He had known that Banz's sheer reputation had kept most of the bullies off his back.

Banz was the top graduate of the Academy. His achievements were phenomenal. With very few notable exceptions, Banz's academic and combat records tops the Academy charts. He held the record for solving an almost impossible Dimensional Geometry puzzle in 15 seconds. Now, that particular puzzle was an important one, for it determines if one have the aptitude to pilot one of those remarkable Guardian-fighter- crafts. One needs to solve at least half the puzzle in 5 minutes to be considered a potential candidate as a Guardian pilot. Less than 3 percent of those who took the test made it through, and a mere handful of those 3 percent eventually gets to make it as a Guardian pilot.

And Banz was the only one on record to solve the entire puzzle, and to solve it in 15 seconds. The next best official record was three quarters of that puzzle in two minutes and eleven seconds.

Yeah, a virtually unbreakable record.

There were currently 72 Guardian pilots that everyone at the Academy knows of. And there were currently 88 Guardians. And each term, all the pilots-in-training competed furiously against each other to be considered for one of the remaining 16 positions.

And from the few late night holographic conferences Frank saw Banz and Joe exchanged with The Old Man and various members of the High Council, he knew that there were 8 very special Dragon Class Guardians and they only have six pilots. Frank knew Banz and Joe were two of those six pilots.

He wondered if the council knew that Banz and Joe had allowed him to listen in to their conversations. He supposed they do.

Frank sighed a little wistfully at that thought. He saw those Guardians in action when Banz and Joe came to his rescue on the day of his retrieval, and he had fallen in love with them. He really would love to fly them, but at his current understanding of D.G., it just did not look likely at all. He supposed he would have to resign himself to just flying one of those cool Angel class fighter crafts. Well, at least he had the opportunity to sit in a Guardian, and Joe had taken him through several transformations as he demonstrated the capabilities of the craft. He was grateful for that opportunity.

_'But Joe flew them…'_ a tiny voice murmured at the back of his mind. _'Then again, Joe may struggle at calculus, but he probably excels in D.G. given the crazy illogic that governs all those equations…" _

That brought his thoughts firmly back to Joe.

It seemed strange that there were no records of his brother's work in the Academy. During his one month in the Academy, he noted that Joe took all the tests like every one else, but his results was never displayed.

Finally, in the few classes that he took without Joe, he noted a number of students muttering about favoritism where Joe was concerned. Those students had been openly hostile to him when Banz and Joe were not around. But they had kept their trap shut when he had consistently performed and maintained his mid-range standings after the first week at the Academy.

He found out later that when Joe first arrived at the Academy, he attended the most advanced classes first, but then steadily drop down to the beginners classes. Most of them felt that it was his status as the godson to The Old Man that had enable Joe to make it as a Guardian pilot.

Frank knew that was certainly not true. Not from the way he observed Joe handling the Guardian, and not from the way Joe tutored him in D.G.

And he conceded that there were many questions he needed answered.

He sighed.

"Are you alright?" Ceri asked almost immediately.

She's so like Joe! So quick to notice his unease…

"Yes. Just a little sad that the night's almost over, Ceri." Frank told Ceri as he bent down to steal another kiss. "But let's make the best of what time we have now, shall we?"

All he got was a shy giggle as Ceri again snuggled into his embrace.

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Please Read and Review. Thanks very much. 


	14. BBBBSB Episode 13

**Okay - here's the update... sorry, the REAL update was the PREVIOUS chapter. I had to INSERT one more chapter to add some facts so I can continue smoothly from Frank's first disastrous experience. I also added a little teeny bit more information here ... which will play a role in the later chapters. It's not intentional, it just is, so please forgive my messy postings. Now that the info I need is out, it should be easier to continue...  
**

**I still hope you'll be enjoying it... For Joe-ettes, I apologise this story is a bit more Frankette, But the next one will be a Joe-ette. The following last two stories of this saga will be Hardy-ette.  
**

**Finally, I must apologise for the delay in updating, I've been distracted by another story I was writing as a gift for a friend.  
That's almost done... so I thank you for your patience.**

**Bhar, RagnaIce: I'm happy Guardian in the Dark managed to keep you well entertained in the meantime. I've always wanted to write an epic love-hate story of Adam and Lilith - guess I touched on a bit of it there...   
**

* * *

**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 13 _

**Big Brother Blood Brother Soul Brother **

**_It_** was a disaster, a horrified Frank Hardy thought as he sat nervously and silently before the panel of the High Council. And he still had no idea what happened exactly, and how it happened. He only knew he was responsible for it all. In truth, he felt terrified.

He only knew that he almost killed two students, and only the quick thinking and action from Banz and Joe had saved him from becoming a murderer. Even so, those two bullies had sustained fairly serious injuries. Never mind the fact that it was them who had tried to jump him in the first place.

And he had done the unthinkable of hurting his brother… Brothers, he amended.

He could still remember the shocked expressions of all the students and trainees around him. And how they had shrank away from him in fear when he walked past them, led by The Old Man, towards the Council Room. He supposed he deserve that. He almost killed two students and had injured his own brothers. Never mind the fact that it was not intentional.

He could still see Ceri's shock and horrified expression. That image was burned deep into his soul. How could he faced her after what happened? Yet she had followed him and stood by his side. Even as he refused to meet her eyes. He could not. He was too ashamed of what he had done. Even if it were unintentional. Good Lord, what kind of a monster was he to be capable of that!

He wondered what the Council would do to him. He could not make himself look into the stern faces of the council members currently seated before him. Was there a jail system here that was similar to that of earth? He wondered. Looking at the almost cultic nature of the worlds here, Frank could almost imagine them excommunicating him. Just like the powerful Roman Catholic Church back on earth during the dark ages.

Then the door to the Council Room opened. Joe walked in with half his arm wrapped in a thick bandage. Banz followed close behind, his right leg well bandaged, and he was leaning on a clutch. Frank could only hope fervently it was just a sprain and not a broken bone or something. He felt so guilty he could barely breathe.

He could hear Joe's voice in his heading telling him everything would be fine. He could hear Banz's voice trying to reassure him. But he ignored them both. It was too painful for him to think that they still cared for him, especially after what he had just done. Whatever that was that he did. And what terrified him the most was the unexplainable but deep fury that arose from the depths of his soul in the split second before the entire incident happened. He had never felt anything like that, and he feared he might be losing it. Maybe this world with all its strange beings was too much for him after all…

"Now, can someone tell us what exactly happened in there? …Joe? Banz?" the chair of the High Council, Mandoran, went straight to the point.

Frank had to admit that Mandoran looked like Albus Dumbledore from the set of Harry Potter. And that might be coincidence, but Mandoran was apparently also one of the most powerful Sorcerers in this world too.

"Two bullies decided to jump on a victim and got hit by a reflective storm shield." Joe replied curtly, his stance seemed to say what else did you expect me to say?

"The two of you were told to be on guard against this," Mandoran glared at them.

Frank stared at his brothers. _'What the…?!' _

And he could not help but feel a little betrayed by them.

"Do not blame your brothers. Banz and Joe had requested specifically for it. It was a luxury Joe never had, and he wanted it for you. It was also so that you could enjoy a period of normalcy," The Old Man told Frank.

_'Sorry big bro…'_ Frank heard Joe's contrite voice in his mind…

"You mean Banz and Joe was actually protecting those bullies from getting hurt?" Ceri demanded her tone incredulous.

The council members ignored her and continued to focus their attention on Banz and Joe.

Frank saw a spark of anger in Joe's eyes. He opened his mouth, but Banz had beaten Joe to it.

"You failed to warn us that Frank's a level ten Storm Lord." Banz snapped. "And it was fortunate that was a storm shield. If it had been a storm wave, the consequences would have been beyond comprehension!"

The entire room went silent.

The entire panel council was staring at Frank, their mouths wide open, but no sounds emerged.

Banz and Joe stared at the council, stunned that they had not known. And that was why they had not forewarned.

Both Reiko and Ceri were staring at Frank in shock.

"Oh dear, Mama made a BIG mistake…" Ceri murmured.

Frank found his gaze wondering from face to face hoping to find someone who would explain things to him.

Joe did. Mind to mind.

_A level ten Storm Lord did not mean that he was ten times more powerful than a level one Storm Lord. It meant that the power of a level ten Storm Lord was raise to the tenth degree when compared to the first level. The increment in power was geometric, not arithmetic. And Frank, you have to learn true mastery over your emotions from now on… _

The council likewise was in deep thought.

A level ten power base was an ultra-rare occurrence. Perhaps one in every ten thousand of the gifted would exhibit that kind of a power. And now they had three such youths in this very room with them. The significance of it was mind-boggling.

It was The Old Man who finally broke the silence.

"Well, I suppose honeymoon periods officially over for Frank, and it's time we get down to the real work…"

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**Please review! **


	15. BBBBSB Episode 14

**Here's the next bit ...**

* * *

**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 14 _

**Big Brother Blood Brother Soul Brother **

**_Frank_** Hardy sat on top of his rolled up futon staring without seeing at the white walls before him. He was currently alone in this medium sized white room. It was his prison. _His_ prison because he was the one who chose to keep himself in. The door was lock from the inside because he wanted to keep others out.

Of course there had to be a small number who can enter and leave as they please. Joe and Banz were welcomed at all times. He could not say the same for The Old Man. Or any other members of the High Council for the matter.

He was tired.

It's been three days and he had yet to figure out how to get those terrible bursts of storm shields under control. And he had tried everything he knew, including meditating. He learnt that during his advanced Karate classes.

What was it he was missing? He remembered Joe telling him that he would have to learn true mastery over his emotions. He tried to control them. Mastery over emotion was a strange concept to be applied to him! He always had almost full control over his emotions. But he supposed that was back on earth. This world seemed to have played havoc on his personality.

He knew Joe was trying to tell him something else too. But The Old Man had put a halt to that. He wondered why?

He knew his parents and Ceri were worried. But he had refused to meet them. Too dangerous. What if he was to lose control right in front of them? He knew it could happen. It already happened right there in the council room during that meeting.

He let his thoughts flowed back to when the six of them left the council room and was heading towards what The Old Man call a 'Safe Room'. He knew then that he would not be going home for possibly many nights.

He recalled how terrified he felt then. He lost it again a second time. Right there in the council room and right before all the members of the High Council.

He had felt the power rising within him and had fought to control it. He lost, and had watched helplessly as it bursts from within him to manifest itself as a physical spherical wall of cackling lightning energy around him. He was unharmed, safe within the eye of the storm.

But the others were not so fortunate.

Joe had moved quickly to shield Ceri from the full force of the storm shield and to Frank's immense relief, had managed to absorb most of the swirling energy radiating outwards from him.

Actually it was Joe who neutralizes his uncontrolled outburst. Frank had no idea how he knew that fact. He just knew. And he had no idea how Joe did that either, but was glad he did.

Banz had moved to shield Reiko, while The Old Man and Mandoran shielded most of the High Council members.

That still left a small number of them with burnt hair and singed eyebrows.

Frank recalled the conversation that followed.

"He's a Shielder then?" Elmira enquired.

Elmira was a rather frail looking little thing. Frank was told she's an elemental sprite, and very powerful in her own right. Now he knew that was true, since she looked unaffected by his outburst even though she was unshielded.

_'She's immune to electrical damage,'_ Joe told him telepathically.

"It would seem that way, Elmira," Mandoran responded with a rather thoughtful expression. "That is good since we do need a Shielder…"

"Being a Shielder is cognizant of his character and personality," The Old Man said. "If he's of the warrior class and that had been a storm wave, I'm afraid we'd be sporting a lot more injuries than just a few strands of burnt hair…"

He still shuddered at the thought that he could have caused potentially a lot more damage.

How did that last outburst happened? Well, they were giving Banz and Joe a hard time when it was clearly his fault…

Frank slammed a quick block onto those words before he could feel the emotions underlying them. No, he certainly did not want to risk another uncontrollable outburst out here in a very public corridor where there were many other innocent students wondering around!

And what if _they_ were wrong? What if he was also capable of unleashing a storm wave? That thought could not bear imagining.

Finally, they arrived at the 'Safe Room'. This particular room was built to neutralize electrical energy; or so Frank was told.

Frank scanned the room. It was a good size, pure white, and had almost no furnishings. A little door to the left led to the ensuite. It didn't look too comfortable, but he guessed that would have to do for the moment. He had no doubt he would remain a 'prisoner' within these four walls for a while. They call it a 'Safe Room'. But it would be his holding cell.

He turned to see that all others had come into the room with him. And the door slides closed behind them.

Ceri tried to reach out to him, but he moved away from her. Since that second outburst, he had always made sure either Banz or Joe was in between him and her. Just in case.

They had made a holographic communication with his parents there and then, and The Old Man had explained why Frank would not be going back that night.

And soon, all of them left. Except for The Old Man.

Joe was reluctant to leave, but Frank had told him to. He reminded Joe that someone needs to go back to explain to mom and dad face to face. So Joe left. But not before he promised to be back the next day.

The Old Man bade him sit down opposite him when they were finally alone. He did.

The Old Man then taught him how to cast a level one storm shield. It was a relatively easy task. And he could see several webs of lightning swirling protectively around him.

He could also see the difference between this simple shielding compared to the one he casted unintentionally when those two bullies tried to jump him. That one was a perfect sphere of stormy energy. Again he wondered how a supposedly defensive 'shield' could have been so deadly.

"Sometimes the best defense is offense," The Old Man said.

Frank was sure that was not what that statement meant back on Earth.

The level one shielding consisted of a number of lightning webs which he had to control to make sure they were in the right place to block an incoming attack. And yes, he had to get hit by The Old Man's walking stick to find that out.

'Ouch' and 'ouch'.

Who would have thought he would be _that _slow in figuring things out?

Sometimes, Frank felt that they had only retrieved his body and had left his brains and common sense behind.

He got hit by that darn walking stick twice.

The Old Man shook his head… in disappointment?

No, amusement, he was told. Apparently Joe had similar experiences.

"Practise and focus," The Old Man told him, and then he left.

That was three days ago. And here he was, exhausted by his miserable attempt to control his emotions and to keep practicing keeping his storm shield at a safe level one. But his sense of frustration kept spilling over and he kept ending up with spheres of wild and uncontrolled lightning balls.

Thank god for the lack of furnishings in this room!

Banz and Joe had drop in daily to help him practise controlling his level one shielding. At least that was getting along quite well. But he had refused to leave the room when his brothers tried to get him to go out for fresh air. He told him he wasn't ready, but he knew they knew he was too scared to.

What if he lost control?

So Frank stayed in the 'Safe Room'. He sat on the futon staring at the white walls before him.

Suddenly it hits him.

He had been working at trying to control his emotions. Yet, no one ever used the word control. Mastery over emotions was what Joe said, wasn't it? And The Old Man had said to focus…

Was there supposed to be a difference between mastering one's emotions and controlling one's emotions?

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**Please review! **


	16. BBBBSB Episode 15

**And the next bit ...**

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**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 15 _

**Big Brother Blood Brother Soul Brother **

**_When_** The Old Man next walked by the 'Safe Room', he saw Frank Hardy seated comfortably in the centre of the room playing with those lightning webs. He seemed to be enjoying himself experimenting with the finer nuances of what those webs could be used for. At the moment, young Frank was using various modified energy webs to change the air density around him and using that to play with the old Earth physics of aerodynamics.

The Old Man watched as Frank successfully utilized the swirling webs to generate the cushion that 'lift' his pillow into the air. He let the young man enjoy his discovery for a while.

His godson was right that his elder brother was exceptional. He had merged his knowledge of his previous world with this one quite flawlessly. There was one major problem up coming that The Old Man could see. But the boy would learn later. One learns best when its self discovery. He had no doubt it would be as painful a journey for the elder as it was for the younger.

And The Old Man smiled as he saw Frank suddenly paused and the pillow dropped back onto the ground. He could see what was coming next. Like big brother, like kid brother… and like soul brother. Amazing how all three of them travelled, or will be travelling the same road. True enough, when the next set of webs appeared, Frank worked it to create an air cushion for himself. He watched as the boy's face screwed up in intense concentration, and laughed at the wonderment on his face when he started to levitate.

'Ah, time for the next lesson,' The Old Man thought a little sigh.

"Well done, Frank!" He walked into the room without warning.

As he expected, Frank was caught by surprise and lost his focus. The young man landed flat on his butt with a thud. Then he watched the play of emotions across Frank's face. First was the shock of it all took him by surprise and next was the irritation at being interrupted, then the surprise as the irritation turned into anger. Finally came the desperation and horror the room erupts in another mess of lightning balls.

The Old Man chuckled as he easily neutralized those wild bits of lightning. He wondered how long it would take for Frank to consciously realize all those 'mess' he was so worried about were actually quite harmless in a real combat situation. It was always the focused concentrated forces that were capable of the most damage, even if it was managed by the lowest level warrior.

He shook his head. It would take a while to get over those fantastic visual effects. Often, things appear scarier than they really were for a good reason. It threatened those who were ignorant, and pared down the number of enemies one needs to fight.

The Old Man had headed straight to the wall opposite the entry door.

To Frank's surprise, the wall shimmered and became transparent. He looked down to see that his 'room' overlooks the huge training gym of the Academy.

Frank had yet to be in there. He was still mastering the basics of swordplay in much smaller practice room. This particular gym was for the most advanced combat students of the Academy. It was for students who could combine the fluidity of their physical swordplay with that of their psychic energy. Combat then is much faster, and much more lethal. He watched quietly as the few students finished up their sparring practices. The advanced swordplay was fascinating. Then again, he loved swordplay and had taken up fencing in Bayport High. He would have continued it at university if he had not been so closed up after Joe's disappearance.

All too soon, those students packed up and left.

Then he saw Banz and Joe enter the gym. It was clear they were prepared for a sparring match. Frank could feel the excitement rise in him. He had always wanted to see what Banz and Joe were capable of, and it seemed that he was finally getting that chance.

The two of them gazed up for a moment before swinging into action, and Frank realized they knew he was watching.

The match was enthralling.

Banz was apparently a Fire-Lord, if there was such a term. (Since they said he was a Storm Lord.) And it seemed that Joe, like him, commanded the lightning.

"Not exactly, both of them are multi-skilled." The Old Man told him.

Then Frank noticed something else. As the match increases in intensity, the actions became lesser and the pyro- and electric display became virtually non-existent. But it was there – Frank could feel the intensity of the power in the air around him.

Frank opened his mouth to make a comment, but The Old Man stopped him.

"I will ask later, but come; it is now time to continue with the next stage of your training…. And you will not longer seek refuge in this room."

'What?!' Frank could not help a small bit of panic from rising.

Electrical sparks sizzled. The Old Man again neutralized that. Then he left the room, clearly expecting Frank to follow. Frank did so in a daze.

They entered the gym together. Frank noted that Reiko and Swordmistress Isogawa were also there.

First, he watched a quick match between Joe and Reiko. Joe used the Storm Blade while Reiko used her Lightning Samurai. And now he could see why Reiko could so easily defeat that Magyar Assassin, and was so confident that Joe could easily beat Chaerea. He now had no doubt who had true mastery of the swords.

Then the Swordmistress moved next to Frank as she passed a wooden sword over to Banz. Joe continued to wield the storm blade.

"Just watch and listen for now," She told Frank.

Banz initiated the attack. Frank admitted that surprised him. Then he listened to the Swordmistress' words.

"The blade is an extension of the body. The body is the manifestation of your mind. At the highest level of swordplay, there is no blade and there is no body. There exist only your mind and will, where power and potential to be harness is as limitless as your imagination…"

Frank watched as the blades clashed, and was surprised that the storm blade did not cut the wooden one in half.

She continued. "The brain is functional; the mind is emotional and imaginative. To feel is to generate power. Joy is energy, as is fear and anger. Watch Banz not with your physical eyes, but with your mind's eye, see the joy he feels as he twirls his blade. See his mastery of his excitement, how he uses it to power his blade. There, that burst of pleasure as he infuse his blade with pure energy just enough to block Joe's incoming attack with a clearly superior and deadly blade…"

The narration continued as Frank watched, fascinated. It was really information overload, but he remembered them and filed them away in his mind. He would recall them and study them at leisure later.

All too soon, the match was over. There was no winner of course. The entire thing was stage for his benefit.

His fingers itched to start practicing and he was gratified when the Swordmistress handed him another wooden sword similar to the one Banz held. He could not wait to start!

"Frank, practise what you can today, then go home for a good rest. You will need it." The Old Man ordered. "Tomorrow morning, you will report in for your first mission. Banz and Joe will accompany you of course…"

Frank was glad to see that he was not the only one caught by surprise. Both Banz and Joe looked equally stupefied.

Unlike Banz and Joe, he really did not mind being sent out for a mission. He longed to see the rest of this world beyond Oasis City. His only problem is, he still did not want to go home with his control of his newly acquired skills so tenuous. But it seemed that he won't be given the choice.

_'Don't worry Frank, I won't let you hurt anyone…' _That was Joe.

Banz was equally supportive. _'Well little brother, you just relax and rest, and let I and Joe handle the rest…' _

It's great to have them as brothers, wasn't it?

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**Please review! **


	17. BBBBSB Episode 16

**And YAY, I think I'm back at this writing . I will go back and spice up the previous chapters after finishing this story. Just wanted to get it all out before I forget all about it... thanks for bearing with me... (and seriously, after Guardian, I find it hard to go overly emotional...)  
**

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**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 16 _

**Big Brother Blood Brother Soul Brother **

**_The_** mission was to bring Phaedro Nizari to the High Council.

"Simple," The Old Man said.

Frank could see that both Banz and Joe did not agree with The Old Man. But orders were orders.

His parents did not agree either, but there was nothing they could do about it but worry. Ceri was close to throwing a fit for being left behind, and Frank was grateful to Reiko for helping to rein her in a little.

Ceri. He still felt like he let her down. He knew he had not been spending much time with her already given he was so focused on his training and studies. She understood – he needed to master the basics in order to get those bullies off his back. But in the last four days, he almost virtually stayed clear away from her. He kept in touch via holographic communications of course, but it was not enough for her since she knew he was avoiding her.

He sighed. Where did that confident and dependable Frank disappear to? Well, he was still trying to find him too…

It did not take him long to find out why his brothers were none too please with having him along on the 'simple' mission. Not long after they exit Oasis City, they ran into their first batch of assassins. It was those Deathwings fighters again.

It was a good thing that the council had permitted them to use the Guardians for this mission. The Old Man had said that it was a necessary show of faith so the Nizaris know that Phaedro would be well protected on his journey. And so Frank got his second ride in a Guardian. He was with Joe of course, and Phaedro would ride with Banz on the return journey.

Frank now knew that two Dragon class guardians could easily outfight several dozen Deathwings. Now that they did not have to protect a third party ship, the Guardians easily made mince meat out of those crafts. Frank noted that Banz and Joe had taken care not to touch several egg-shaped objects.

Those were escape pods, he was told.

It was only when the Deathwings attacked that Frank remembered that there was still a bounty on his head… and Ceri's too!

_'Reiko will protect her, Frank.' _Joe had instantly reassured him.

That's the other thing that had been developing between them. They were now so comfortable with telepathic communication it was now second nature to them. They were always at the peripheral of each other's mind, so questions were usually answered even before the thoughts were formed. With exceptions of situations pertaining to security access and what relates to his training of course. Otherwise, he could access almost everything else in Joe's mind.

Banz had permitted him the same access, but he just wasn't as comfortable with the idea just yet. But he knew he would be in the future.

Now back to the Guardians. Joe actually let him pilot it for the larger part of the journey to Centrolis, where the CAG headquarters was located. That was fantastic. He had a great time playing with the transformations bit. Then came the more serious bit on piloting at warp speed and navigating through sub-space. It seemed that The Old Man managed to squeeze some training into every spare minute of his life somehow. And Frank had to give that Old Man his grudging respect.

Walking through Centrolis was like going through a hot and humid vibrant bazaar in central Asia. All of them had taken a bit to time to browse through the stalls and did a bit of shopping. They bought something for everyone: Mom, Dad, Reiko, and Ceri.

_Ceri, _Frank sighed. He would have a lot to answer for when he get back to Oasis City. He recalled all the times he spent making up to Callie after having to cancel dates at the last minute as he disappear for missions for his dad. It seemed that the same applies in this world. Joe was right when he said there really wasn't much difference between here and Earth once you look at the essence of it all.

Frank carefully selected a lovely bracelet. But he knew the more important bit would be when he returned to Oasis City and beg his mom to prepare a special dinner hamper for him. As Joe said, GOOD food was still the BIG thing in this world.

Soon, the three of them were standing before the main gate into the Central Assassins Guild Headquarters. The huge double doors creaked opened. The three of them walked in.

**_Yigal_** Nizari was none too please with their request for his eldest to accompany them back to Oasis City. But as The Old Man had predicted, he was bounded by his honor and the blood debt. And both Banz and Joe gave the father assurance of his son's safety. It was also good that Phaedro himself had agreed that he owed it to Joe to return with him.

Then Joe passed the Chief a missive.

He read it, and then frowns. It was a worried frown.

"The war is inevitable?" Yigal asked.

"Yes," Joe responded. "They were the ones responsible for the total destruction of all non-human life and total dominion over the human ones of the Centaurian Galaxy and are now planning a massive invasion of this section of the universe. Even now, they are chipping away on the frontier worlds and building a toehold from which to launch a full invasion.… In all cases, they showed absolutely no mercy to what they considered non-human life forms… and that would apply to over 90 percent of your guild members, wouldn't it?"

Yigal looked at us thoughtfully, "Yes, it would… And the High Council wanted us to join the alliance in preparation for an all out war?"

"There had been several major battles over the last few months," Banz took over the conversation. "All signs from our scouts show that there was a massive build up of might over the last year… Chief Nizari, we have sort of held them back for the last five years, slowly conceding the frontier worlds. But they had successfully obtained their toehold, and all the signs are indicating that they are ready to launch a major all out attack soon… we can no longer remain fractured – to each their own – like we used to. The rules of the game have changed, Sir…"

Yigal eyed the missive again, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Go, return to the High Council and tell them I will consider their request… I will have to consult with the elders of the guild first." Then he gave his eldest a nod. "My son will return with you…"

"Just keep him safe…" The father added gruffly, before letting them all leave.

**_The_** trip back to the Guardians was made in relative silence.

Frank could tell that both Banz and Joe was just a mite tense. Not that it showed on their physical demeanor of course. Its all in the mind. His consternation grew when his brothers chose a different return route, and that the route was isolated. That was when he let himself skimmed their minds… and it was as expected. The Hashashins were here for them… no they were here for him.

He noted that Phaedro Nizari, though relaxed in the way he held himself, had started to flex his fingers. The smile on Phaedro's face also indicated that he was looking forward to the confrontation. And they had all taken the isolated route to ensure that the fight would be on open ground, and that no bystander would get hurt.

True to their namesake, the two dozen Hashashins had attacked without forewarning. He easily caught the storm blade that Joe pass to him before swirling into action and at the same time conjured his basic storm shield. What better place was there for him to practise than in a real combat situation?

Frank also realized that he wasn't as fearful of the fight as he thought he would be. And it was not because he no longer feared dying in combat. Quite the opposite, he feared having to kill. He feared killing becoming second nature to him. It was because he knew that they were not out to kill those assassins, only to incapacitate them that reassured him. It pleased and comfort him to know that the compassionate Joe of Bayport was still there after three battle hardened years.

Frank was well aware that the other three were on the outer perimeter, and had taken care to allow only one opponent in for him to deal with at a time. That he was grateful for.

Then one of the assassins managed to nick Joe.

And all hell broke lose.

Frank could feel his fury rising, and the massive amount of latent energy swirling just beyond his grasp. Then it burst out of him, even as he struggled desperately to bring it under control.

He panicked as he saw the terror in Phaedro's eyes and realized that that youth had no defence against his storm shield.

Banz moved swiftly to intercede. He shielded Phaedro, but unfortunately, that also opened him up to a Hashashin attack.

Frank had cried out helplessly as he watched the dagger pierce Banz's side, and saw the pain reflected in the depths of his eyes. It was his fault, he knew. Phaedro had instantly killed that particular assassin, but it offered him no comfort. In fact, he made him feel worse.

Joe had reacted instantly too.

His younger brother had done something, and changed the nature of the storm shield that he had unwittingly generated. As a result, the two dozen assassins now lay stunned and unconscious around them. All except for that one dead assassin…

Frank was running towards Banz, his brother. He could see that the wound was a serious one. His big brother was bleeding profusely, and he had no idea what to do. Where were the doctors on Centrolis? Why wasn't Phaedro going for them? How bad was that injury here in this world? Frank knew on Earth that would be a close to mortal wound. But here? He had no idea. But he knew that wound hurts. He had seen the pain in his Banz's eyes.

The wound was rapidly turning black. That dagger was coated in poison.

_Oh no… _

He turned his tear filled eyes towards Joe and hope fervently that the injury and the poison was not life threatening…

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**Please review! **


	18. BBBBSB Episode 17

**And the next bit - ah almost at end of story 2!  
**

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**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 17 _

**Big Brother Blood Brother Soul Brother **

**_Frank_** heard voices, but he wasn't exactly listening. He was still staring at the bleeding wound before him that was quickly turning black.

"It's okay… Joe's here for him…" Phaedro was saying but he was not comprehending.

He turned his pleading eyes to Joe. He could see that Joe was talking to him. It took him a while to actually comprehend what Joe was trying to tell him.

"Banz will be fine… I won't let him die," Joe was repeating over and over.

Frank blinked. _'Will Banz be fine?' _

"Yes," Joe said in a firm voice.

Frank then noted that Joe was gently stroking Banz's face, and Banz looked much more peaceful than before. He wasn't hurting anymore. Then Phaedro cuts in.

"When are you going to start, Joe? Or are you waiting for me to make myself scarce for security reasons?" Phaedro asked. "Though I have a feeling that I will soon have the clearance to know anyway…"

Joe eyed Phaedro, a hint of respect in his eyes, "What do you know, Phaedro?"

Phaedro laughed. "I do have my sources, Joe. I heard your true talent is part of an old legend, and is both a gift and a curse… am I right?"

"And I suppose you also knew why the High Council wanted to meet with you…" Joe asked instead of answering that question.

"I think I can hazard a fairly accurate guess, Joe. And to be honest, I've always wanted to pilot one of those…"

_One of those? Was he referring to the Guardians?_ Frank wondered.

"Does your father know?" Joe asked.

"No, but I'll tell him later… after everything is confirmed." Phaedro responded, and then turned to look directly at Frank. "I am also guessing that with me, the Council has found all eight pilots…"

Frank turned away, hiding his disappointment, when Joe did not deny that.

Phaedro laughed and shook his head. "Your brother's too modest. I'll bet he's one of the eight."

_Was he?_ Then Frank saw Joe smiled a little.

"So what are you waiting for?" Phaedro asked.

"I am waiting for the poison to complete infusing his whole being," Joe said softly. "Its more painful this way, but after I healed him, this particular poison will never harm him again, ever."

So Frank sat as watched as Banz's breathing grew shallower, and his skin paler. And his own heart pounded harder. He trusted Joe, but the habits of Earth were hard to break. Then he noticed that Joe's breath was coming out in short gasps.

And he realized, "You're blocking his… no you're absorbing his pain…"

Joe merely gave the tiniest of smiles in response.

Finally, when Banz's lips started to turn blue, Joe acted, and placed one hand over the wound and the other over the heart. Frank thought he saw an aura around both his brothers, but he could not be certain. Then suddenly, Banz arched back and let out a cry of agony. And soon it was over.

Banz sank back onto the ground, shivering and covered in cold sweat. But the wound was gone, and the skin looked pink and healthy. Phaedro took over from there, wiping off the sweat and working to keep Banz warm.

Joe leaned back against Frank, grateful for the support. His heart was racing and he was working to catch his breath.

Frank could see that the efforts had clearly exhausted his baby brother. Still… what he just witnessed was just remarkable.

_'But not without cost… not without cost,'_ Frank thought as he took in the exhausted state Joe was in.

And they rested there for a long while. Until Banz and Joe were both fairly recovered from their ordeal. Then the four of them made their way to the Guardians and took off for Oasis City.

**_In_** the cockpit piloting the Guardian, Frank could not help but to wonder, why was Joe's remarkable gift of healing considered a curse? Saving lives is a wonderful skill and gift to have, isn't it?

"The ability to heal effectively comes with the ability to kill most efficiently too, Frank… Imagine, knowing how every cell in a body functioning most intimately…" Joe's voice was so soft, so haunted. "You can heal by fixing what was wrong… but you can also so easily flick that little key switch in that little cell that will start a chain reaction to shutting a body down… totally…"

_'Good lord!'_ Frank shivered as he looked into the dark depths of Joe's eyes. _'Did he…' _

"And honestly, those few loose lightning bolts of yours were nothing compared to what I did when I lost it. I have to live with that mark on my soul till the day I die, Frank." Joe said his tone most pained.

'But Banz…' Frank started.

'Banz knew what he was doing; he knew I was there. You will only hurt him if you persist in believing that you're at fault…' Joe stated firmly.

'Now, baby brother is absolutely correct right there, my little brother.' Frank heard Banz's voice in his mind. 'And you cannot continue to hide in a safe room for the simple reason that if you do that, you'll never truly gain mastery over your powers. A controlled environment is no substitute for the real world, and you know that. Then you will be truly a menace to society at large…And Frank, you got us to help make sure no one gets hurt while you learn, so take full advantage of it… that's what brothers are for, to get whacked by wild bolts of lightning when they don't deserve it…'

And Joe was gratified to see the slightest of a smile formed on Frank's lips.

**_Family_** dinner was a big thing in the Hardy household in that tiny little apartment.

Ever since Frank learned about his being a Storm Lord and a Shielder three weeks ago, life had been hectic for everyone. For the boys as their training schedules were stepped up, and they seldom get home till long after dark, only to leave again early in the morning. Both Laura and Fenton had thrown themselves into her classes and his social work to distract themself.

And tonight was a special night. Laura Hardy finally got her Chef License and they were celebrating at home with home cooked gourmet food.

Both Frank and Joe still found it a little strange, given that back in Bayport, they always celebrated by going out to a nice restaurant for a meal. But here sadly, the best meals were the home cooked ones. Banz, Ceri and Reiko on the other hand could not wait for Laura to get down to opening her own eatery. They already had plans to order packed lunch daily.

Of course all five of them already had pack lunch daily. Laura had made sure of that after her first and only visit to the Academy Canteen. She had declared that none of her kids would touch a speck of that poisonous mess the Canteen supervisor called food while she lives.

After dinner, they had the usual family chat time. The girls entertained the parents as the boys cleared the tables and the dishes, and packed the 'leftovers' for the girls to bring home. Laura always made sure she had plenty of 'leftovers'.

Though Frank noticed that Banz, Joe and Reiko still ate Canteen food every now and then, passing their own pack lunch over to any one of those lucky and eager students who happened to be nearby. It was later that he realized that they did not want to get used to and grow dependable on good food, for they would have no access to it while on a mission, or when serving on the front lines.

_'Goodness, he forgot all about the war!' _Frank thought.

Yes, the last three weeks had been good.

He and Ceri had made up. He was doing well on all his subjects, and his swordplay had improved leaps and bounds under the personal tutelage of Swordmistress Isogawa. He knew that a number of advanced students were envious, even jealous. Swordmistress Isogawa had come out of retirement to take him in as her last formal student. He also knew that having Banz, Joe and Reiko as his regular sparring partners gave him an advantage that no other students had.

There had been two other fairly minor outbursts from him, but both times Banz and Joe had neutralized it before it could cause damage. And he was currently comfortably practicing level four storm shield.

The Old Man had sent him with his brothers on two other 'simple missions' outside of Oasis City. They ran into assassins as expected, but this time he was better prepared to face them. And the last mission he got to pilot his own Angel craft. Which was fantastic.

He was slowly getting the hang of Dimensional Geometry and understanding its significance in the operating of a Guardian. In fact, he took that DG puzzle test just two days ago, and he actually completed it! Thanks to the diligent coaching from both his brothers. So he currently ranked second on the official chart. It took him almost four minutes to complete it, but he was the officially the only other to solve that puzzle. He now also understood why the third record stood at three quarters solved at two minutes and eleven seconds. Each student was allowed to officially submit their answers three times, and the best score is the final score. So he submitted his first answer at the end of the first minute with the puzzle half solved. Then he submitted the second answer at the end of the second minute when he thought he hit a dead-end. But to his surprise, he manage to work his way out of the hole and got the entire puzzle solved, to his immense pleasure, by the end of the fourth minute.

And he figured that Joe's record was up there with Banz's, and that for some reason, the High Council decided to keep it under wraps. That was the only conclusion one can come to, after computing the distance both Banz and Joe had to cover in the limited time when they flew to his rescue on his first day in this world. He could not help but wonder why the other advanced students had not seen it yet. Or perhaps they did but just didn't want to admit to it?

So yes, the last three weeks were good…

A loud alarm interrupted the cozy atmosphere of the living room, and all eyes turned towards the holographic communicator in consternation as the AI turned it on automatically for a City-wide announcement.

"We have just received news that New Havenport and two other mining outposts were attacked two standard galactic hours ago and were totally destroyed. There were no survivors that we know of at the moment. The Corporation, the terror that had left behind a trail of galactic devastation, including our neigbhouring Centaurian Galaxy, had launched their attack. War is now formally declared. They are now headed our way and will reach here in approximately three standard hours. Please follow the emergency drill and report to your respective centers to prepare for immediate evacuation… Repeat: Please report to your respective centers and prepare for immediate evacuation…"

**_The_** entire Hardy household froze at the announcement. But before they had time to react, another holographic transmission came to life.

It was The Old Man.

Frank did not like the looks that Banz, Joe and Reiko exchanged with each other at all, but kept his silence, not wanting to add to his parents' worries. The fact that both Banz and Joe close off their minds to him was another sign that things were bad.

"The High Council has just completed a quick emergency meeting. You know clearly that time is of the essence."

The Old Man gave Fenton and Laura an apologetic look before continuing…

"I am sorry but I am not going to sugar-coat this. Here are the bits of the combat transmissions that they managed to send in before they were destroyed."

Several more screens came to life within the suddenly tinier living room.

Frank watched the battle scenes and forced himself to shut down a little. He guessed he just was not prepared after all. He could hear his mom feeling sick behind him, and knew that his dad was taking care of her. One of the screens was particularly brutal. A strange spherical object was flying and making its way through the population. It was ripping any living and non-living thing that was in its path into bits. He felt like throwing up himself.

That screen was highlighted and brought to the fore.

"There are three Shredders sent against us this time." The Old Man said.

"But we only have two fully trained and combat ready Guardian pilots here at the moment!" Reiko gasped.

Frank felt his heart drop at that announcement. That was bad, and he steeled himself for worse news to come.

"Banz, Joe… it is known that the two of you were the only two that managed to take on two Shredders at a go and survived…"

Now, that sounded not too bad, Frank thought. But he still had this feeling that there was something else lurking just out there that was about to surface.

Another scene came to the fore, and Frank watched a Guardian battle a single Shredder… and how the Shredder ripped the Guardian into pieces. And he took a sharp indrawn breath as he watched the Shredder went after the escape pod and crushed it. The enemy was heartless, and ruthless, and … sick.

"Magnus…" Reiko whispered the pain of loss clear in her tone.

Joe opened his arms and she went straight into his comforting embrace.

Frank could see that both Banz's and Joe's face were cold and hard. And he had to admit that scared him. War changed people.

"These Shredders are different from the ones we fought before." Banz stated.

The Old Man gave a grim nod.

"They have clearly improved on the model and its capabilities… Other than the three Shredders, they are sending two legions against us. Here is what our forward probe managed to gather before it was destroyed."

Another set of screens sprang to life.

"Banz, Joe, you know that it is just not possible to evacuate 800,000 people in three hours. We have set up a perimeter defence that could buy us just a little more time. But that would not work with those shredders in operation. AND, the small fleet of Angel fighters we have here on Oasis cannot delay them long enough, not without the aid of a Guardian…"

"The High Council wanted one of us to lure the Shredders away, while the other worked to buy time for the evac…" Joe stated.

Frank heard a sharp cry and knew that was his mom. He could see fury on Reiko's face. And on Ceri's too.

"That is total crap! Whoever plays lure to those Shredders will not survive and the Council knew it!" Reiko exploded.

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**Please review! **


	19. BBBBSB Episode 18

**Okay, this is the second last chapter. I will return later to polish it up - like I said before, I just want to get it out before I forgot. Was also a little slow since I got a bad case of food poisoning yesterday... and it took up all the resources from my brain.**

**Thanks for the comments, Bhar. Will try to implement your suggestions. The next story will be Frank dragging the truth of what happened out of Joe... But Joe's tale will take up the bulk of Story 3...and the three brothers will be travelling several worlds to gather allies for the war, so I think that would offer ample descriptive opportunities for my writing practice. Please let me know when I get it...**

**Liz: hey surprised to see you read this one. Like I mentioned, this one is really so way out there I know only a handful read it.  
**

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**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 18 _

**Big Brother Blood Brother Soul Brother **

**_"I_** disapprove of the Council decision, Rei." The Old Man said tiredly. "But I need to come up with an alternative. With what you have seen so far, what do you think? Banz? Joe?"

All eyes turned to the two youths in question.

Laura was holding her husband's hand in a death grip as she waited with bated breath for either Banz or Joe to respond. Fenton could barely feel his hand, though he knew from the way his wife was squeezing it, it aught to hurt. He too was focused on waiting for an answer.

Frank watched the two of them studying the inputs from the various screens. He could see that the odds against them were overwhelming, but without the knowledge of how much resource Oasis City really has, it was impossible for him to say how bad the situation was. So like his parents, he had to wait. Ceri pressed close against him and he tightened his hold on her comfortingly. Reiko, like his two brothers, was studying the screens, her lips in a tight straight line.

Frank noted that his brothers returned to the short sequence on the Shredders again and again. He realized that getting rid of those three was the key to winning the time to effect a successful evacuation. Oasis City was a lost cause.

"Are you seeing what I am seeing, Joe?"

"How confident are you, Banz?

"Just about as confident as you are, Joe… and do you think Frank can manage…"

"Possibly, but it doesn't really matter… the Desiderata can take over when needed…"

Whatever does that mean? Why could they not have retrieved him a little earlier so that he would be more prepared for situation such as this one? Frank grouched.

"What do you two have?" The Old Man asked.

"Something that gives us better odds of survival than what the Council had in mind for us, father." Joe replied as Banz keyed in something and then hit the sent button.

Frank's eye narrowed. There was a hidden message there, he was sure of it.

The Old Man's face took on a thoughtful expression as he perused the numbers before him.

"Are you two absolutely sure of the maths?" He asked.

Both youths nodded.

"It's still risky…" he sighed. "Just get over here as soon as possible and be prepared to present your case…"

"I can take down the third Shredder." Ceri cut in confidently. "In fact, I can take down all three Shredders…"

She shrank back a little into Frank's arms when all eyes turned on her. "I believe I did the same maths, and I believe I can take them down."

Ceri foresaw all the others protesting and she threw the next bombshell before anyone could vocalize their objections.

"Banz's and Joe's calculations are incomplete, and they knew it."

Silence greeted that statement, just as she expected.

Both Banz and Joe turned red at Ceri's annoucement.

For the hundredth time, Frank wished he had mastery over the maths of this world so he knew exactly what was going on.

_'Frank, you're here barely two months and you completed the DG puzzle. THAT is an unbelievable achievement in itself. Joe was here six months before he even took that test...'_ That was Banz, and he sounded exasperated.

The Old Man glared at the three of them.

"Explain!" He snapped.

"The inter-locking rotating blades. We can compute the underlying equation governing the speed and trajectory of the first two layers from the visual we have now. From the way the Spheres moved, we can make the conjecture that there would be at least four layers of rotating blades, and made various assumptions of the equation underlying the inner two layers. Then they computed for gaps and openings from which one can bypass the blades into the core of the Shredders and destroy them from within." Ceri calmly lay out the case.

Frank could see from the faces and she hit the issue head on.

"From my calculations, the gaps they computed would allow them to sneak pass the blades into the core of the Shredders… just barely and with the lightest of armors to protect them… It is an extremely precise operation with almost no allowances for mistakes…"

Frank turned and stared at his two devil-may-care brothers opened- mouth. What the heck were they thinking?! He could tell that his parents were equally stunned.

"Well, the conjectures are wrong, so the calculations are wrong… and therefore you need me…" Ceri finished calmly.

"If you tell us what you have, Ceri, I am sure I and Joe…" Banz started.

"…will still need a third person to handle the third Shredder," Ceri countered.

"And we still need one more person to pilot the Guardian to help hold back the fleet," The Old Man added.

"Frank can handle that…" Three voices chorus that together…

"He can hold until we join him after we take care of those Shredders," Joe amended. "But I still do not agree to you…"

"Do not underestimate me, godson to The Old Man." Ceri said in a steely voice. "I am still heir to the Valley of Seers. And I know, because I can fore-see. I can help you take down the Shredders."

Even Frank was stunned by the transformation from the shy girl into a formidable woman right before him. Then just as suddenly, that aura of power was gone, and shy Ceri was back again talking in her soft voice…

"I can fore-see, and therefore I am fore-warned. I will be fine. And your conjectures are wrong, there are six layers, and you will not be able to get pass the sixth layer because the gaps are too small for your build… but an arrow can, and my arrow can, and the explosive arrows of the Valley pack quite a punch."

Ceri was gratified to see the hopeful expressions about her.

The Old Man however foresaw the issues. "You will need to be in the open field while facing down those shredders, Ceri."

Frank paled.

Ceri turned and looked both Banz and Joe in the eye. "We will have to lure the Shredders onto one of the nearby asteroids… Frank's not ready to shield me… but can the two of you?"

Frank noted that neither of his brothers actually responded to that question. But he felt that sudden short controlled flare of power. And he saw Ceri smiled.

**_They_** had left the apartment as soon as his parents packed what few belongings they had. They had dropped Fenton and Laura off at their evacuation station before reporting to the Council. Laura was in tears, and Banz had promise to bring both her sons safely back and assured her that they would meet again as a whole family on the other side.

As expected, the Council had approved of their plan. So here he was feeling rather nervous seated in his brother's Guardian, Desiderata. He was waiting with most of the Angel crafts around him, for the arrival of the enemy forces. And Reiko was in the silvery Angel parked right next to him.

He wondered how his brothers and Ceri was doing. If they had successfully lured the Shredders into their chosen combat area. He wondered if their plan and gamble would work. He really hated to be here while they were there, but given his current abilities, he would only be a burden rather than a help.

And he finally understood what was so special about the Dragon-class Guardians. Desiderata was sentient, and had chosen Joe as pilot, and had allowed him to pilot. No wonder Joe said he'd be safe within Desi. Desi, even he was starting to refer to the craft as a real life person.

_'I AM alive!'_ Desi huffed back at him, clearly insulted.

Frank apologized. It was after all bad politics to get on the bad side of your equipment before combat. Not that he ever had to contend with live equipment back on Earth.

And he wondered; what was his personal craft like? Joe told him that his Guardian was called Tanaris, and was a beauty. He could not wait to see it. Already he felt the sadness suffused him. He knew that many of the Angel crafts now around him will not survive the upcoming battle. Just as he knew he would. Because he knew Joe had given him the best chance of survival possible. Something told him that none of the Vultures would be able to breach Desi's defense, and that his job was to protect as many Angels as he could and to pare down the number of Vultures.

Soon, he could see the grey dots appearing in the distance. They have arrived. And several minutes later, the world around him erupted into a dazzling display of laser beams and explosions.

The battle has begun.

**_Meanwhile_**, Banz and Joe were making their way towards the designated asteroid where Ceri was waiting. Both wore grim expressions. Unlike Frank, the three of them have no room for error. And Joe had promised to take care of Ceri.

They had the three Shredders right behind them just as they wanted. And Banz was pushing the limits of his Guardian, the Amaterasu.

Banz flew in and the two of them alighted together from the Guardian. They allowed the tiny bit of the asteriod's natural gravity to pull them towards the ground. Both landed lightly on their feet and swiftly headed towards Ceri.

Amaterasu turned to fire a last volley of lasers towards the incoming Shredders before turning and flying off, leaving the three of them to face the Shredders on the abandoned asteroid. That last blast from the Guardian had given Banz and Joe the much needed time to get into position with Ceri, and construct the necessary shielding. As expected, all three Shredders ignored the Guardian and went for the three living beings before them. And as expected, they targeted Ceri because she was not considered by the Shredders to be 'human'.

They discovered then and there that Ceri really was nimble as an elf, and she easily moved out of reach of the Shredders, forewarned by her ability to foresee the Shredders' next move. She positioned herself to fire her first arrow.

Banz and Joe sent wave after wave of fire balls and lightning bolts into the Shredders with minimal effect. Every once in a while they would send a blast powerful enough to knock the Shredders off course. The idea was to conserve energy and to keep the pilots of those Shredders guessing.

They were also distracting the Shredders away from Ceri and to give her the space she needed to arm her bow. They knew the first one's the hardest. Things would get easier once they start to outnumber those machines.

And Ceri got her first.

The Shredder exploded into a massive fireball, and sending debris flying in all directions. Joe swiftly conjured a shield around Ceri, even as they moved quickly away from the other two remaining Shredders. While Joe's shield could easily block the flying debris, he could not block a full on attack from a Shredder. So they had to run.

_But Frank could, when he fully mastered his craft,_ Joe thought. Too bad they had to do without for now.

With only two Shredders left, it didn't take long for Ceri to take down the second one. Banz and Joe had kept both Shredders busy while Ceri simply waited for her chance.

The final Shredder was easy.

The three of them faced it head-on. With Banz and Joe both projecting overlapping shields, they held the last Shredder at bay, and Ceri simply sent her arrow straight through.

Then the three of them headed back together to the main battlefield. Ceri flew her own Angel, while the two brothers took the Amaterasu. They could see the fireworks in the distance.

"Careful, Ceri." Joe called out.

Ceri gave a quick wave of her hand before heading straight into the fray.

**_Frank_** thought his heart was going to give out when he saw Joe 'floating' before the Desiderata in the midst of the crossfire. Then he heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Desi's tractor beam caught Joe and drew him into the cockpit.

"Don't. You. Dare. Do. That. Again… EVER!" Frank fairly screamed at Joe the moment his brother settled into the seat behind him.

"Don't worry Frank; you'll soon be doing that all the time…" Joe said so casually that Frank didn't know how he should react.

With two Guardians on the battlefront, they easily held back the two legions. It wasn't long before the High Council announced that they had completed the evacuation process and gave the signal for retreat.

Frank noted that Joe and Banz had held back to let the Angels retreat first. Then they had turned on the incoming legion of Vultures. He watched as Joe utilized his skills and a storm lord and used his Guardian to amplify his powers, and a wave of electrical charge washed through the ranks of the Vultures, disenabling the bulk of them. Banz did the same though his was a lot more destructive.

Then they headed towards the new home base.

**_The _**three brothers were rushing towards the new Council room. They could not find their parents in any of the refugee areas. Banz had a nagging feeling about what might have happened, but he decided to wait and see what the council members had to tell them. He knew from the tension emanating from Joe that his soul brother was blocking that possibility at some level. Frank had no idea yet for he had yet to see that particular aspect of this world.

Soon, they saw Swordmistress Isogawa before them.

She looked sympathetic.

The three of them stood before her, hearts pounding furiously.

"I'm really sorry, but the evacuation was not totally successful. The Saurian Slavers took the opportunity to attack and got away with a good number of the civilians" She paused and took a deep breath before adding, "your parents were amongst those taken…"

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**Please review! **


	20. BBBBSB Episode 19

**Darn! I thought this would be the last episode of BBBBSB ... but there is just one more to go.**

**Liz: Will head back to Guardian after finishing BBBBSB. Trying to decide whether or not to post the next chapter of Storm-tossed... and I think you'll like the revised Manhattan. Two of my friends are taking up writing Frank's perspective, and VM will be writing the VM's perspective. I and B will be doing Joe's...  
**

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**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 19 _

**Big Brother Blood Brother Soul Brother **

**_"What_** the heck do you mean that we can't go after those slavers?"

Frank demanded of the High Council. He had enough of the council's shenanigans. He could not believe the time wasted here arguing in this room. His parents needed him, and he was going, period.

"I am sorry Frank, but we are in the middle of a war here and…" Elmira started to explain.

"I am not asking you to go after them… I mean we are going after them to bring our parents back!" Frank interrupted in a steely tone.

"No Frank, you are not." The Old Man stated.

Frank turned his furious eyes on the old man. "Watch me. Come on Joe, let's go…"

The Old Man sighed. "Joe, Banz… be careful…"

Frank thought both his brothers looked pained.

"Frank…" Joe started.

"No Joe, don't tell me that we can't go…"

"Frank, please listen…"

"Banz, I understand they are not really _your _parents… but they are mine, and I am going after them!" Frank gritted out and forced himself to ignore the hurt reflected in Banz's eyes.

"That is an unfair statement, and quite beneath you, Frank," Reiko said to him. Her tone was low, but it carried across the room.

Frank blushed, but refused to back down.

"I do not care what excuses you all have," He glared at every single one in the council room, his own younger brother included. "But I am going after my parents, and no one is going to stop me."

He felt the wild swirling energy lurking just barely under his icy cold exterior. He saw several council members stepping backwards. For the first time, he welcomed the uncontrollable rush of fury rising from the depths of his soul. He turned and headed towards the door.

"Banz! Joe!" The Old Man called out again.

And his brothers moved to block his exit path.

"Do not force my hand, Joe."

"Frank, you are not thinking clearly, you are not in control… just calm down, okay. I know what's happening Frank, it happened to me before… Let us… let me help you calm down…"

He saw Joe reach out with one of his hands, and for an instant he wanted to take the proffered hand. Then just as quickly, that desire disappeared and anger replaced that brotherly feeling. A tiny part of him wondered at the sheer fury moving through him. Just as quickly, that part of him vanished, lost in the rising maelstrom of emotions.

He snarled and knocked away Joe's arm, and let the full force of his powers burst out of him. The sphere of energy pushed everyone away from him and cleared a path before him. Then it shrank until all that was left was a protective globe of energy shield around him. Every once in a while, a stray bolt of lightning cackled across the globe.

Both Banz and Joe had backed off, having taken the full brunt of the initial outburst. But he could see that they were relatively unscathed. Some of the council members weren't so lucky, though none of them were seriously injured. He headed for the door.

His peripheral vision told him that there were two bolts of something heading his way. Probably a stun bolt or something, and he reacted by sending two mini spheres of stormy energy towards those two bolts. The spheres had decimated the bolts and continued on its forward journey. The impact had however changed the direction of the spheres.

Frank watched in horror as one of the spheres spun towards Reiko. He watched what was about to happened in slow motion, knowing that Reiko had no defense against such high powered energy blast and that there was no way she could avoid it, because she was not even seeing it.

Except that the sphere did not hit Reiko. It hit Joe. He watched Joe's neck snapped back under the sheer force of the sphere, and watched the body crumpled as it fell back against Reiko. It happened so quickly Joe did not even have time to feel the pain…

He stood rooted to the spot and watched as Reiko realized what happened. He heard her cry of disbelief and pain. He heard Banz's cry of denial and felt him moving towards Joe.

Then he felt a sharp jab of pain in his back and felt darkness descending on him. He turned and saw Ceri staring at him, tears in her eyes, and knew she was the one who shot him.

_And oh no… Joe… _

**_HBHBHB _**

**_Fenton_** Hardy knew that he was in a really bad situation. He had no idea where he was at the moment, but his gut instinct was screaming at him. The room he was in looked like a typical well-furnished room in any five star hotel back on Earth. He helped himself to a nice hot cleansing shower, and to the clothes that was left for him. He recognized the Lacoste Polo Shirt and a pair of Levi Jeans. For some reason, seeing those after the last two months chilled him.

He remembered boarding the evacuation ship with Laura, and he remembered the ship taking off into space. Then there was a long grinding shudder and the ship lost its environment support system. Everyone started floating around. He tried to hold on to Laura best he could.

Soon, a group of armed beings burst through the door and started forced them to move to another ship. Fenton signaled Laura to follow instructions after they witness the deaths of two passengers who refused to follow orders. Once on the other ship, he was separated from Laura. There was nothing he could do about it. Their captors chose to put the males and females in separate cells and separate ships.

He could hear the other beings next to him whisper 'Saurian slavers'. He might not know what the first word mean, but the second was fairly clear. It was then that he really started to worry for Laura. At that moment, he wasn't even sure that Laura was on the same ship as him. He could only hope his sons would find out what happened and rescue her.

Fenton recalled with great irony what happened next. The slaver ship got attacked, and all the slavers slaughtered. And when the attackers started to kill all the non-humanoid beings in the holding cells, Fenton guessed who the attackers were. After the slaughter, they rounded up the remaining humans and took them all to yet another ship. This one looked larger than the slaver's ship. But the holding cell was still the same small grey square. There were four to a cell. The one wearing the torn blue top operated a Laundromat on Oasis City. The one in yellow overalls to his right was actually one of the cooks at the Academy whom Laura threatened to whack for incompetence. Then there was this skinny guy who kept to himself and refused to speak.

He was transferred to two other ships before they finally landed on a planet. Or at least he assumed it was a planet. After his stay at the Oasis City, he knew that asteroids can be made to feel like a planet too with artificially generated gravity and skies. He took in his surroundings as they plodded him into a huge marble building that looked somewhat reminiscent of the White House in Washington DC. He don't know why, but the bad feeling he had from the moment of evacuation intensified a thousand-fold at that point.

They left him locked in this posh room.

The White House in Washington DC… And the Council had called the invasion forces The Corporation.

Fenton sat down on his bed and ran his hands through his damp hair several times. Then he rubbed his temples. He had been trying for a while now to imagine plausible scenarios for what was happening. He knew he needed to be prepared for what would be coming up next. His instincts told him his sons' safety would be at stake. But he failed utterly as his imagination fail him, and was now feeling the start of a migraine coming on.

_'Well,'_ Fenton thought wryly to himself. _'What did he expect? His imagination only extends as far as Armstrong walking on the moon. Maybe he should have paid more attention to Joe's sci-fi and comics' collection…' _

Then the door to his room slide opened.

There were two men waiting for him beyond the door. It didn't look like they were armed, but why take the risk? He'd rather be in peak mental condition to deal with what was coming up next. He followed them down the corridor and soon he was standing before a set of double doors. If he remembered correctly, this would be the library in the real White House back on Earth. They opened the door and gestured for him to enter. And he did.

It took a while for his eyes to get accustomed to the darkness of the room. It was fairly empty. A large table was set in the centre of the room. And there were two very comfy looking armchairs, one of which was occupied.

"Please take a seat, Mr. Hardy,"

They knew him. That was certainly not good. He walked towards the armchair and sat down. He looked at the man before him, and thought the features looked familiar. But he try as he did, he could not place a name to the features.

The young man gestured at a large painting to his right and Fenton looked at it. It was a portrait of an old man in priest's robes.

He knew that man. He searched his memory and gasped.

"I see you know my grandfather…"

John Bishop. That man was a charlatan. He ran a religious cult called Corporate God of grand proportions. And then suddenly he disappeared without a trace, together with several thousand members of his cult. It was one of the strangest mysteries of the decade. No, it was the strangest mystery of the century.

And now that he thought about it, that incident happened not long after Joe's mysterious disappearance. As a PI, he did not believe in coincidences. The two events must be linked somehow, he now realized.

"I know **_of_** John Bishop." Fenton corrected the younger man.

"And I know of your family, Mr. Hardy." The younger Bishop said. "Specifically, I know of your younger son…"

Fenton did not bother to respond. It was clear they both knew what was the expected question, and that the expected answer would be forthcoming. Wasn't that the purpose of this meeting?

"Earth was such an amazing place. So primitive and yet so civilized. The humans there had such lofty notions of love and care, and yet was one of the most warlike species of humanity our people had ever encountered. Look at your history, Mr. Hardy! Your kind's capacity and ingenuity for waging war with the limited resources and technology was absolutely mind boggling!"

Fenton really had no idea what this was leading up to. Was he saying that Bishop was alien to Earth?

"You chose to focus on the war aspects, and I chose to focus on the love and family aspects… to each his own interpretation," Fenton commented.

"But surely you can see and appreciate humanity's potential, Mr. Hardy. Earth's own history is full of examples of man's achievements despite odds. No other beings are capable or are as deserving as our kind as the dominant species in all creation…"

"I would refute that… I have seen during my short time here, the remarkable achievements of what you considered non-human beings, and I assure you they are no lesser beings than us, young Bishop."

The younger man laughed. "Really Mr. Hardy. I may look young, but I assure you I am much older than you are…"

Another wave of his hand and a screen appeared before Fenton. On it, several young men were in combat training. Fenton watched horrified as he watched the muscles and skin on the lads' shoulders morphed into bazukas and hands morphed into blades as they fought each other…

"Nanites implants," Young Bishop supplied helpfully. "The nanites made the body far more resilient, and keep them younger and in peak combat condition for a much longer time… you could have all those powers at your finger tips too, Mr. Hardy. Look at me, I assure you I am several centuries old…"

"No thank you. And I believe you are mistaken… those … those 'things' are no longer human…" Fenton shuddered as he recalled the scene.

"Rest assured they are still very human, Mr. Hardy. It was there in the perfect human DNA that every single one of those soldiers have."

"DNA perhaps, but I can certain even your so-called corporate god would not have seen them as human, nor does your god approve of your plan to murder all of His other creations." Fenton countered.

"But you are mistaken, Mr. Hardy. We do operate under a mandate from God. It was there in your Genesis that humanity is given dominion over all life… we were merely carrying out His directives." Young Bishop said with a beatific smile. "And I am sure you will be more amendable to our thinking once you finish your re-education process…"

"But you do not really believe in it… it was merely an excuse you were using…" Fenton retorted. "But that is not the point of my being here… why exactly are we having this conversation, Bishop?"

"You can say that I missed chatting with an Earthling, perhaps?"

Fenton merely waited.

The younger man sighed.

"As I mentioned, Mr. Hardy, Earth humans are exceptional. Or more accurately, a small number of them are… like your younger son, Mr. Hardy."

"What about him?"

"Let's say he, with a little external help, saved your planet from our grasp and drove us away from your galaxy, Mr. Hardy. And now, he's here. He and a small number of others, are the key reason why it took us so long to gain our foothold here… and now it seems your elder has certain talents as well…"

Fenton listened, feeling a hint of pride for his son, and also a rising sense of dread at what was being planned for himself.

"What do you want, Bishop."

"Your sons should be on our side, Mr. Hardy, and you'll be helping us remedy that situation."

Young Bishop simply lifted his hand watched dispassionately as the two men emerged from the shadows to drag Fenton away.

"I look forward to another chat after your conversion, Mr. Hardy…"

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**Please review! **


	21. BBBBSB Episode 20

**Okay - here's the missing chapter 20 to plug the free fall from the cliffie in chapter 19. Hope it works! You might have to leave comments to this chapter on chapter 21 if you have already reviewed chapter 20.**

**Sorry Bhar, I am still struggling where the angst element is concerned... and I know this is supposed to be a little on the angsty side. I can only hope that it is a little on the 'touching' side.  
**

* * *

**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 20 _

**Big Brother Blood Brother Soul Brother **

**_The_** council room was in chaos.

It was true that Ceri had managed to take Frank down, her stun arrow barely slipping through a tiny gap in Frank's defenses when he split the two mini-spheres from his main shielding. But without the main focal point, the original energy globe had fractured, sending pieces of wild energy shields swirling uncontrollably about the now seemingly even tinier room.

And the second deadly mini-sphere of stormy energy was still bouncing about, intend on finding its second target.

**_Reiko_** held on to Joe best she could, but there was no mistaking the terror in her eyes. She had no way of defending herself or Joe against those angry swirls of lightning and storm energy. Not without her sword, and even with it, she would not be able to take the direct hit from that mini-sphere, created so carelessly by a level 10 storm lord fueled by the rage of unreason.

She was still in shock over what happened. Joe took the hit for her. She could have died then and there without even knowing what hit her.

She was starting to hyperventilate. It was getting so hard to breathe.

Was Joe even alive? Was he breathing? She knew it was bad; the impact had come close to shattering her soul mate bond with Joe, the one that could only be broken by death.

"Joe's still alive, Rei… BUT HE CANNOT take even another slightest hit…"

That was Banz. He must have assessed the severity of the injuries through his bond with Joe.

Thank goodness Joe was still alive, she thought.

She could see Banz racing towards them. But knew he won't make it on time. She could feel a streak of wild energy shield racing towards them. She let her instinct took over and covered Joe with her slimmer body. A fiery burning pain streaked down her back as she registered the hit. She would have to be treated for burns later.

A number of the high councilors were in equally bad shape.

"Banz!" The Old Man almost screamed out.

A small part of Banz and Reiko registered that extremely rare occurrence.

"Neutralize those forces now! I got Joe! Banz… SNAP out of it! NOW!"

**_"Banz!" _**

That shook Banz out of his single-minded focus on his soul brother. How could he forget that with Joe down, he was the only one left who could do that?! And especially when he knew The Old Man would clearly be preoccupied with holding on to Joe's life-force.

He forced his mind away from Joe's and focused on the stormy forces about him. He let his own rage rise to match that of the wild storm about him, and when his own matched that of existing storm, he merged both sets of energy and quickly gained mastery over both. Then he slowly dissipated the storm until all that was left was a few harmless cackles of electrical sparks.

The relief that permeated the room thereafter was palpable.

**_They_** all had watched as Mandoran casted a healing chrysalis and a stasis globe for Joe and knew things were very serious indeed. Usually, only one or the other would be enough even for the most serious of wounds.

The use of both meant that the patient was hovering at death door. But no one here had any doubt why the youth was still living. And live he would, as long as The Old Man would not let go.

"Elmira? Can you…" The Old Man started to ask, his voice strained.

"Don't worry; I'll take care of the other. Go quickly; your godson has little time left." Elmira quickly nodded and answered.

**_Ceri_** watched blankly as Mandoran and several key council members gently levitate and move the chrysalis towards the healing quarters. She knew they would be heading there. Not the sick bay but the healing quarters. Not many really know the difference between the two, but there was a difference.

She watched numbly as Swordmistress Isogawa almost had to drag her daughter, Reiko, towards the sick bay to get her burns tended to.

Feel… how did she feel?

Nothing.

At the moment, she felt nothing.

What should she feel? Ceri mused. She knew Joe and Banz for almost three years. They have had some wild adventures together, and they had saved her life twice. In fact, she met Joe before he even met Reiko and bonded with her.

She remembered her mother's disappointment when that happened.

And now, her soul mate almost killed him.

His own brother.

And Rei… her only true female friend in her life.

She looked down at her soul mate lying so still in her arms.

Her soul mate whom she just shot.

What should she feel?

She felt lost.

And alone.

They were all concerned about Joe.

But of course. He had a destiny.

What happened? She was sure she had one too…

A destiny.

"Ceri?"

She looked up to see Elmira's kindly eyes looking down on her.

"If you would let go a little, we will transport him over to the sick bay. It may be just a stun arrow, but without treatment, his bruise is going to hurt really badly…"

She let them. She was grateful that someone was taking over something.

And she followed.

And Frank. Frank would need her there when he awaken…

A small fear started to form in the pits of her guts… Frank would need her, wouldn't he?

**_Banz_** sat alone outside of the healing quarters. His soul brother was in there with The Old Man. And Mandoran. He knew that Joe would live. The Old Man would not let his godson die.

Still he fear and worry.

It was totally irrational.

He knew a part of it stemmed from the fact that he failed to keep his little brother safe.

And that was also irrational. If he had taken that blast, he would be dead.

Joe had known when he chose to block Banz's move and took that hit for Rei.

Banz looked around him, only half aware of his surroundings. The larger part of his mind was linked to Joe's, coaxing him to hang on as The Old Man worked to repair the massive damage to the physical body. The injuries were all internal; shattered bones, torn muscles and squished major blood vessels.

It was unnecessary, really, for him to be doing what he did. The godfather would not let go of the godson. But it made him feel like he was useful. And he needed to feel useful. And he was grateful Joe let him.

So he sat there half dazed outside the healing quarters for an unknown amount of time. He mind-linked with Joe and initiated a one way conversation which he hoped would distract his brother from the agony of his internal injuries. He talked about all their times and adventures together, their arguments and disagreements, the pranks they played while still at the Academy.

He just realized what a great story teller he could be when he tried. Joe must have really rubbed off his stoic nature. He smiled as he thought back of the old times when they first met. He had always been the loner. Until Joe drew him out.

He remembered how angry he was at those ignorant students who thought Joe was really dumb when his brother attended his classes backwards from the most advanced to beginners. But it was simply that Joe had a very different learning process.

He remembered his annoyance at the whispers when Joe's DG test and other test results were never posted. And he remembered how Joe always simply brushed those insulting whispers off laughingly. The people that mattered know, and that was the important thing, was what Joe always said.

He knew all those results of course. And why they were never posted. Joe's answers all worked, and were so unorthodox; the teachers just didn't know how to grade them most of the time. Joe's solution for that infamous DG puzzle was just so way out there, it was a shock to all the testers when all the pieces just fell neatly into place. Several times over and in such different permutations they let him play with the puzzle way beyond the five minutes allocated.

"Banz… How's Joe?"

That got him out of his story-telling session with Joe.

Reiko was standing before him, looking very anxious. He could see from the stiff way she held herself that the burns on her back was quite bad.

"He'll be fine, Rei. It's just a matter of time…"

"I can feel his hurts through our bond, Banz…"

"I know… me too…"

And they sat there together in companionable silence borne out of their multitude of adventures that they had. Banz had let Rei onto his Soul Bond to Joe so she could take comfort from his presence without having to bear the pain that comes with it.

Soul bonds were such intimate connections. One could share thoughts and sight and hurts. In times of injuries, one can help ease the suffering of the other by sharing the burden of the pain. It was a gift to be given and shared. It was also a responsibility not to be taken lightly.

They were suddenly aware of a third presence with them.

It was Ceri.

They were surprised. Shouldn't she be with Frank?

"Is Joe okay?" She asked in a small voice.

Then they noted she had been crying.

Neither had felt like asking at that moment, but felt they should. So.

"Frank?" Rei forced herself to ask.

Ceri did not answer but simply stared back at Rei and Banz. For a long time.

"He rejected me…" She finally said.

Both Banz and Rei were surprised. Actually they weren't so surprised. Or were they?

And Banz was surprised to feel something bubbling just under the surface within him. He took a precious moment away from Joe to examine that emotion, and was surprised to see that it was anger. Anger riding on the aftermath of fear that was only too eager to tag onto any excuse to erupt into violence.

Full mastery over emotions; never fearing them, never seeking to control them, but taking them in, accepting them, and understanding and feeling the complete motivation behind them. And to be able to let them go graciously.

It was a simple yet difficult task.

He isolated that feeling, and then let that anger washed over him. He accepted the full potency of that outburst, felt its every nuance, then let the energy dissipates into world around him.

Then he turned his attention back to Ceri, to find that Rei was already hugging her and comforting her.

He smiled. Some things woman handles best.

Then the door to the healing quarters opened, and Mandoran walked out with Joe on a hover-bed next to him. He gestured them over.

"Will you see him safely to the Sick Bay?" He asked of them.

The three nodded.

"He'll be fine, but it will take a while to recover his full strength… he would likely feel extremely lethargic for a week or so, and I guess you'll have to think of how to keep him entertained in there." Mandoran added, and gave Reiko a quick smile.

Joe's dislike of the Sick Bay was a well known fact.

"What about…" Banz started to ask but Mandoran got there before him.

"He's totally exhausted, and Elmira's taking care of him at the moment, but he'll be alright, like Joe, after a long bed rest… and I must seek some rest myself… " Mandoran said. "I leave Joe to your care…"

And the councilor left. He must be exhausted too, for he literally wobbled down the corridor.

It did not take them long to see Joe to his room in the Sick Bay.

The three of them just stood and watched the sleeping lad for a long while. He was still too pale for their liking. But none dared to touch him, knowing the newly mended bones and muscles that lay just under the unblemished skin.

Then Banz made his move.

He gave Ceri and Rei a comforting hug each, and asked them to look after Joe on his behalf. Then he let himself out of the room. He had another sick brother to tend to.

**_Frank_** Hardy was back in his personal hell.

All that he feared had come to past. He hurt his own brother. Almost killed him…

He remembered the terror into which he awakened. He thought he might have killed Joe. Was he screaming or was he pleading for someone to let him go and see Joe? He knew they had given him something then, for it certainly dulled his senses and weakened his muscles quite a bit. He lay back down onto his bed, desperate and terrified. But the roiling emotions though strong were not as overwhelming as before.

Then there was this voice telling him that Joe was alive. It was such a sweet voice. He could not tell really if it was the voice or the news that helped calm him down just enough to be cognizant of his surroundings.

It was then he recognized Ceri.

He wanted to beg her to continue loving him and have her hold him, since he was sure no one else would. Not after what he just did. He wanted to run far away from her so that he would not have to see her love for him lessened because of what he did.

But in the end, he turned away from her, certain that she would despise him for his actions.

He did not even realize it when she left the room in tears after calling out to him in vain.

He had struggled between the need to rush out to personally see that his brother was alive and well and the desire to simply hide out in his sick bed and pretended that nothing happened. That he did not almost kill his brother's soul mate, and he did not almost killed Joe.

In the end, he withdrew from the world around him and retreated into himself and the hell he created. There was nothing left for him out there really. And how could he expect Joe to forgive him? Joe might be able to forgive the fact that Frank had quite mortally injured him. But how could anyone forgive another for almost killing one's soul mate? And Joe must have hated him all the more since they were brothers…

Lost in the vicious cycle of self incrimination, he did not hear the door opened and see Banz enter.

**_When_** Banz first walked into Frank's room, he was expecting to feel anger. He was also expecting to give Frank a deserving lecture on his selfishness and refusal to listen that led to Joe getting hurt.

His anger last but a split second and was gone.

Frank had felt that initial flare of anger and flinched. Banz could see the young man before him steel himself for a tongue lashing. Frank's self loathing permeated the room. He would have to be more than blind not to see that.

What surprised Banz was when he recognized the next feeling of Frank that emerged. It was pity.

It was clear to him that Frank expected a lecture. No, he wanted one. And Banz was wise enough to see that Frank would not feel better after that. He would only use it to justify his morose thoughts and sink deeper into depression.

Banz thought back to the events of the last few months, and he rethinks the stories that Joe told him of his elder brother. He could see now a much fuller picture before him.

He was looking at a young man who had so much in his former existence; he had no real need to depend on another. He was always in control because he had calculated all possibilities and had contingencies for everything. His brilliance had allowed that, and it had allowed that degree of control in his youthful life in the small world in which he lived that was not possible here.

Because this was a much larger world with so much more possibilities. And because here Frank had powers that came with a totally different set of obligations and responsibilities.

And Banz pity Frank, for he trusts, but never really fully trusted, because he never really needed to. He worked in a team, but was never a true team player, because he knew he could cover the shortfall at any time. As a result, he had always been alone, and he never knew it. Therefore he never learned. Therefore he could never truly learn.

Until now.

The elder brother, for all his talents, was a very poor man indeed.

So Banz sat down and started talking.

He talked about the riches in relationships, and of the wealth of experiences held in the multitude of emotions that a sentient being could feel and should feel. He talks about truly trusting and being able to let go. He talked about mistakes and he talked about forgiveness.

He knew Frank was not exactly listening for now. But with his almost perfect memory, he knew Frank could easily replay all those words and digest them at a later time.

He talked until his voice went hoarse, and it was time to go and pay a visit to his soul brother.

Joe was just about waking up, he knew.

**_Three_** days later, Banz wasn't feeling so patient anymore. Neither Frank nor Joe was giving any indication that they were pulling it together. And they had not even seen each other. They were both brilliant when it comes to excuses. So when the council called him to a meeting, he knew what they wanted him to do. For the first time in a long while, he wished he didn't have brothers. In fact, he might as well keep two pet Pindaro Cattles.

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Please Read and Review. Thanks very much. 


	22. BBBBSB Episode 21

**Sorry folks, I inserted another chapter before this final chapter. Bhar was right about the missing chapter, and I tried to remedy it. So chapter 20 was a new addition. Thanks for all those tips, Bhar! Hope this works better!**

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**Thus end the second story in the Alien series. Hope you like it **

**The next story, titled Godson to The Old Man, tells Joe's story of how he came to be from Earth to this world. The narration happened with the war events in the background.**

**I will be finishing up Guardian before returning to this. **

**Bhar: Do you think I should move ahead with the next bit, or return to fix the previous few chapters first? Centrolis and Draconia will play quite central roles. Alternatively, I can write ahead, then reference you back to the chapters where I add details for both worlds?**

* * *

**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 21 _

**Big Brother Blood Brother Soul Brother **

_"Two are better than one. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart." -- from the Book of Ecclesiastes _

**_Banz_** Kalosis was having a hard time trying to decide which of his two baby brothers he wanted to strangle first. Yes, that's they were, babies. Joe was right when he said that no one guilt trip like Frank. He only forgot to mention that he took after his elder brother big time.

Argh!

And did anyone mention both of them were stubborn as a herd of Pindaro Cattles?

Okay, this got to end. The council at least got it right this time that they could not afford to waste valuable resources pandering to personal guilt trips. The unfortunate thing was, since he was the eldest and also the most senior 'soul brother', they expected him to handle those two Pindaro Cattles.

The question was, which brother to tackle first? The healthy one blaming himself for almost killing his sister-in-law and his brother, or the one still recovering from the death blow and feeling guilty for failing to prevent the whole incident?

Yes, that was a really bad hit, and Joe certainly would not have survived if not for his innate talent, and his status as The Old Man's godson. Bringing Joe back from the brink of death had cost The Old Man a lot. And Joe was also feeling bad about that as well.

Banz smiled grimly.

_'Sorry Joe, you're the big soul brother in this world and with that, comes certain responsibilities…'_ Banz thought.

He made his way to Joe's room within the medical section of Starship Rendezvous. Starship Rendezvous was one of the most advanced and largest space-faring craft in this galaxy. It was built at the precise instruction left behind by one of the prophetess of Lady Destiny to prepare for the coming of The Shadows. No one really knew what that was, and Banz had a nagging suspicion it wasn't the current enemy that they were fighting.

Ever since the fall of Oasis City, the Academy had been divided into four groups hosted by four gigantic Starships. Two of those Starship Academies were currently lodged in top secret locations. And Starship Rendezvous carried half of the best and the most advanced students from the Academy.

He stepped into Joe's room, just in time to see Joe buried himself under his covers.

_'Sorry little brother, ready or not, it's time.'_ Banz muttered under his breath as he ruthlessly pulled the covers off.

"Hey! That's no way to treat an injured patient!" Joe grouched.

"It's been three days, Joe. You may not be at full health, but you are more than capable of moving around on a wheelchair… it's time to move back to your quarters and give this bed to the person who truly needs it."

Banz shook his head as he watched Joe reburied himself under the covers.

"What happened to the brother I know who hates the Sick Bay?"

"What happened to the brother I know who always insisted I stay here even when I am more than capable of walking on my own?" Joe countered.

Okay, that was a good one, Banz conceded.

"Joe, you got to go and talk to Frank."

"I will, I just need a bit more time, okay?"

"You're still angry with Frank for almost killing Reiko…"

"You know that's not true!"

"Frank doesn't… and he's killing himself with guilt over that."

"You can tell him he's wrong…"

"Frank won't believe a word I say, and you know it, Joe…"

Joe turned to face Banz, "I know I should, Banz. But I just don't know what to say… Frank…"

"…is not used to being wrong, and he is not used to not being in control, and he's not used to being a true team player." Banz finished off for Joe. "But he has to learn, stubborn Pindaro Cattle that he is, to accept and trust in the events around him… At least while he is in this world."

Joe chuckled a little at that description of Frank. Then he turned serious.

"Banz, I don't know how to explain to Frank about our parents."

_Ah, so that was the real concern… couldn't Joe see that Frank would have already figure most of that bit out logically by now? _

"Tell him the truth, and then knock him out of the guilt trip. Like I did to you over two years ago. As soul brothers go, you're the big brother here, and its time for some tough love, kiddo."

"Is that for Frank or for me?"

"For both my baby brothers," came the dry response.

**_So_** that was how it came to be an hour later, when Joe made his way to Frank's self imposed prison on an electronic wheelchair. Banz didn't give him much of a choice. He simply opened the door and pushed Joe's wheelchair in then close the door behind him. And then Banz stood guard outside. Joe was sure it was to keep the two of them in rather than to keep others out.

Tough love indeed.

Urgh!

Then he turned away from the door and saw Frank and was glad he came after all. He did not like the defeated stature of the young man he saw before him at all. Where did the Frank he knew go?

_'Buried under the burden of self-inflicted guilt… like me…' _Joe acknowledged to himself as he made his way awkwardly over to the bed on which Frank was sitting, hunched over something. Frank really should not be here in Sick Bay, and Joe was resolved to see them all back in their quarters by tonight.

Then he felt sadness suffused him for a moment when he realized that Frank was hunched over staring at that tiny family photograph they took on their first night in their apartment in Oasis City.

"Hi Frank." Joe said.

Frank looked as if he was surprised to see him.

"Hi," he responded.

They stared at each other for a while. Then Frank looked away.

Joe reached out to place a comforting hand on his shoulder, only to realize that was too far away. He eyed the bed and proceeded to help himself onto it, and was gratified to see that Frank was still there to help him make that smooth transition over. Soon he was comfortably ensconced in his brother's bed, and he reached out to grab Frank's arm in a firm yet comforting grip before his brother could scoot off into another safe corner. He was glad that Frank got the message and sat down next to him; he was really getting tired, not having fully recovered.

"Frank…"

"I figured out… I really screwed up the chances of getting our parents back from those slavers, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did…"

"Joe… I…"

"Frank… FRANK!" Joe called out louder when he realized Frank was about to launch into a long self-incriminating guilt trip that serve no purpose other than to draw himself further down the guilt pit.

"Do you remember that time when I screwed up real bad back in Bayport and almost got you and dad killed? Do you remember what you told me back then?" Joe continued in a much softer tone after getting his brother's attention.

And he launched into the soliloquy he had been practicing for the past hour before stepping into this room. He went through some of their old adventures, their mishaps, a good number of Frank's best big brother moments when he went to his big brother for comfort.

And today, it was his turn, and he hoped he could do an equally good job.

"… at the end of the day, Frank, we're still family. And you're my brother… and there's nothing that you could do that I can't forgive you for…"

And Joe was gratified to see a tiny smile on Frank's lips.

"Most of that sound extremely familiar, Joe."

"Of course! I plagiarized them from some of your infamous speeches…"

"I didn't know you have a photographic memory…"

"With a brother like you Frank, I never needed to use them…" And Joe knew Frank knew it was because Joe treasured everything he said and did.

Both shared a bit of a laugh. Then together they silently shared their concern for their parents.

When they next looked up again, Banz was there leaning against the door watching over them.

Joe watched, happily so, when Frank took the initiative, as he always did.

"Banz, I am sorry about what I said…"

"Don't worry about that, little brother." Banz said. "Good to have you back, kiddo! And good work, Joe."

But there was just one more little thing.

"Banz, remember when you offered the soul bond? I wasn't ready back then to take you up on your offer. But I am ready now. If the offer still stands, that is." Frank said.

Banz's smile grew wider.

"There are some things once offered can never be taken back, kiddo." Banz replied as he moved towards his two kid brothers.

Frank took Banz's proffered hand, "I accept the gift and the responsibilities that comes with the soul bond."

Then he dropped all his mental shields and allowed Banz full access into his psyche. It was a difficult thing fro him to do, but he managed. He had learned a lot about mastery of emotions over the last three days and accepted that he still have a long way to go. He felt Banz doing the same. Then he felt Joe join in.

Blood brothers, Soul Brothers… the circle was completed, just as Lady Destiny decreed it should be.

And on board Starship Rendezvous, a tiny floating piece of metal in the vastness of deep space, three brothers wondered where Fenton and Laura were. They wish they knew so they could go and bring their parents home.

**_And_** many many many light years away, Laura was wishing for the same.

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**Please review! **


	23. DGTTOM Episode 22

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**This is the first episode of the third story. This is meant to be a prologue like start... so hope you enjoy it**

**NOTE: I was so so so so stuck in this story I just had to delete and rewrite everything. The changes to the first two episodes of this third story is minimal, but fairly crucial. The third episode is almost totally different. I hope this would be a better story than what I had before.  
**

* * *

**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 22 _

**Destiny: Godson to The Old Man **

**_Joe_** Hardy was staring through the glass panel that separated him from the cold empty space into the dark heart of the universe. The space before him stretched far into nothingness, just like his destiny. The road before him was long and dark and unknown.

_But there were twinkles from the lights of a zillion burning stars!_ He told himself. _No matter how dark, if one looks hard enough, there will always be light. _

He sighed.

He was currently staying in his godfather's room. It was a fairly big room with a clear view of the galaxy they were in. It was a typical room for any member of the High Council, and all the most senior staff of the starship. But unlike other well-furnished typical rooms, this room was very sparsely furnished indeed. The Old Man preferred space for his private exercises and other practices.

Frank had not been too pleased about him moving here, since the High Council living area was off limits to most other inhabitants on the starship. Frank had no access to this particular part of the starship, but he had conceded that Joe needed a proper place to rest and recover. Hence for the last three days, they had met only once daily. And both his brothers did have their day full with classes and training.

Yes, it had been six days since his close brush with death.

Now he was alone on Starship Rendezvous. Sort of.

His brothers were sent on a simple mission to deliver some missives to some minor worlds to warn them of the invasion forces, and to solicit alliances for the war. He had no worries there for he knew Banz would look after Frank.

Reiko and her mother, The Swordmistress, on the other hand, had returned to their own home world to ask for assistance. Ceri had gone with them. They would also be asking for assistance from neighboring worlds.

And he needed to heal fully and wholly.

The impact of the sphere from Frank's uncontrolled outburst had shattered every bone and blood vessels in his body leaving the skin intact. The nature of his internal injuries had meant that his godfather had to painstakingly piece every single fragment of his bones, blood vessels, muscles and organs back together bit by bit, while Mandoran had held time still within the stasis field in which he lay.

That was an extremely delicate operation. And that was not something that he would want to go through again, ever. He seriously doubted his godfather would be up to it either.

Though all the wounds had knitted, they were not fully healed. He could still feel all the weak links and chinks in his bones and muscles. That was why he was here in his godfather's room instead of his own with Banz and Frank. He needed to heal, and he could not do that with them around.

The ringing of his alarm clock alerted him.

_Ah, it is time for another healing session… _

Joe moved away from the window and casted a power-and-magick Containment Spell. That would ensure neither use of power nor magick would be detected by anyone outside of the containment area. Slowly, he increased the strength of the containment field and tightened until he was certain that even the strongest psychics and scrying spell could not break through.

His godfather would be able to, of course.

Only then did he settle into the center of the field and called on his latent abilities. He turned himself into light and started healing and strengthening his body from within.

_Healing energy is the most powerful of all abilities. It is second only to the ability to create and give life. And only Lady Destiny (or God if you are from Earth) has that power. While there are many psychic healers in this world, there are only two true healers. That is him, and his godfather. _

A normal psychic healer can dull pain and sooths mental distress by encouraging the body production of endorphins. The most powerful of such healers can clear infections speeding up the body production of antibodies and speed up clotting process to prevent the wounded from bleeding to death. But a true healer can turn himself into pure energy, and repair the damaged body cell by cell. He can combat viruses and poison by destroying them from within. It is a tiring and meticulous process, separating something like a virus from an infested cell, and then infusing it with the energy to bring it back to being a normal healthy cell.

No one knows the true power held by true healers. They only know that healing is a tiring process, even for true healers. Only a handful knows that True Healers were the most powerful. Most had thought that Fire-Weavers and Storm Lords ruled.

But it seemed that Phaedro did know, or that he had some idea. Joe could see that Phaedro was unique in his own way; quiet, unassuming, but lethal when he strikes out. He wondered what exactly Phaedro knew and how he knew what he knew.

He was about to… when he suddenly and firmly clamped down on his gifts…

All True Healers wield a multitude of skills and powers, most of which would never be used in their lifetime. And most True Healers died horribly.

Could they have used their powers to change their fate? Yes, they could have. And Joe had learnt the hard why all of them had chosen not to. Precisely because they could, that was why they did not.

Lost?

_Sometimes, one cannot do things just because simply they can. _

Still lost?

_Some things cannot be simply reduced to one-dimensional cost benefit analysis. If that were the case, then sometimes the sacrifice of a thousand, a million lives, would mean nothing in the course of preventing a terrible future from happening. Sometimes, it is just a matter of what is right or wrong. _

Joe sighed. He was sure that Frank would be able to explain in a much clearer manner. But he would make another attempt.

_The more powerful one is, one only do what is necessary. Because the more you can change things, the more things change. The more things change, the less controllable and the more unpredictable. And the more one need to do in order to regain control… and the vicious cycle continues spiraling until everything finally breaks apart and become unsalvageable. Hence the more powerful one is, the less one needs to do to keep things on their path. _

Is that clearer now?

Joe chuckled as he worked on his left ribs knitting the micro-fractures and strengthening the bones. Three years ago, he would not have understood any of the above. Now, he held on to that almost religiously; to use his powers most sparingly and most judiciously.

And the best part of that, he now realized, was that his decision had kept most of him the same old Joe from Bayport at heart…

In truth; he and his godfather could have ended that battle at Oasis City single handedly. He could have reached out with his mind and feel every single life force seated in every vulture, and quite effortlessly flick that switch that would kill them all. Then they would not have lost so many of their own Angel pilots.

Why didn't he? That would make him a mass murderer, wouldn't it? And that would change the fates of so many people; he did not even want to think of possible complications. What if one of the surviving vulture pilot's grand kid would be the one who would convert his entire race into a peaceful race?

That was why he and The Old Man and the High Council had chosen to fight the war the good old fashioned way. And yes, it is very much easier to kill than to heal. That should be painfully clear by now.

Then he sensed someone else in the room with him, and he knew that was his godfather.

**_The_** Old Man had stood outside the door to his room for a while. He knew his godson was deep into his healing meditation at that moment. His godson had mastered his art very well indeed. Even HE was hard press to detect any spillage of power, and he only knew because he was aware of Joe's healing schedule. Lady Destiny had been right when She said he would not be disappointed in Her choice of a godson for him. A godson to replace the son he lost.

A godson who carried within him, the very last existing essence of his own son…

The Old Man scanned his surroundings, and having confirmed that there were no witnesses, he cast a tiny containment field about himself and then melted through the door and through Joe's containment field, and into his room.

He watched as Joe completed the final stage of his healing ritual. He watched with his inner eye the invisible energy swirls that surrounded his godson. He watched those energy weaved its way powerfully through the physical body, healing and strengthening every single cell along the way. He watched the energy swirls melt away into the repairs, until there was nothing left.

And Joe opened his eyes, his sparkling blue ones looking straight into his silvery grey ones.

"Well done, son. I see you mastered your healing arts."

"Under your patient tutelage, father."

The Old Man smiled.

"You took my advice and expanded on them in ways I never thought possible, Joe."

Joe blushed.

"Coming from a different world helps, father."

"Perhaps," The Old Man said. "We haven't truly sparred for a while son, think we can squeeze in a session before your brothers return?"

"Of course," Joe smiled, his eyes sparkled. "And I am fully healed. That was the last healing session."

The Old Man nodded his smile sad.

"You know my time is almost over, my son."

Joe did not immediately respond, but his eyes darkened. He returned his attention to the window and to the stars beyond.

"I know." Joe finally whispered.

"You know your path after that, Joe."

"Yes I do."

"All seven pilots to the seven original Guardians have been found. Use them wisely. And you have the Desiderata… "

"I will take good care of them, father."

The Old Man shook his head. "They were here purposely to support you and to protect you, Joe."

"That was not how I interpret The Runes, father." Joe's voice was amused yet firm.

"You would not have enough power to guard them all and to complete your task, Joe." The Old Man reminded his godson.

He watched as his godson turned and face him again, his eyes burning with the confidence of youth and perhaps more.

"I _am_ your Godson, Godfather, and I know the limits of _my_ will. There will be no sacrifices under my guard."

The Old Man hoped so too.

"I trust in your judgment, son." The Old Man said. "But another word of advice from an old man if you will… do not let your love for your brothers blind you to their true capabilities, Joe."

Joe looked surprised, and then his eyes softened.

"I promise I won't… ", he said.

"Banz and Frank will be back soon." The Old Man commented.

"Yes, and I will be moving back to our shared quarters."

"Frank will be expecting some answers from you."

"I will tell him what he needs to know."

The Old Man paused to gaze at the stars before him. Visions flashed again by in his mind's eye. He frowned a little. That was different. Never before was such things permitted. And then he sighed. He was getting old and older every day. The last few decades had seen so much changes and exceptions to the Laws of the Ancient… yes, his time here was coming to an end.

"Son, you must teach both your brothers how to interpret The Runes. Frank especially must gain a certain level of mastery over the interpretation of The Runes." The Old Man suddenly turned to face Joe, his eyes bearing into his godson's with startling intensity. "It is important that by the Coming of the Shadows, his mastery should be second only to yours…"

Joe was taken by surprise by that.

The Runes were specific to True Healers, and to the descendents of a certain lineage. A lineage so ancient and so powerful, the power of their blood rank third to that of the True Healers. A lineage believed by many to be extinct. And for millenniums, each successive generation of True Healers had taken the sacred duty of guarding the hidden sanctum of The Runes and none others should even know of the existence of those Runes.

"I know why you would resist that idea, Son." The Old Man shook his head and chuckled, and then added in a stern voice brooking no dissent. "But you must, for their lives and yours would come to depend on it."

There was another long paused.

Finally, Joe bowed his head in acquiesce.

The Old Man heaved a sigh of relief.

Then the godfather turned to his godson, and they shared a moment of total togetherness through the threads of fates that bind their lives together.

Finally, and almost reluctantly, The Old Man said, "I think its time for our sparring session, son…"

"Yes…"

There was a sudden flash of blinding light. When that was gone, the room stands empty, as if no one was ever there before.

**_And_** in the distance behind a giant asteroid and out of direct sight of Starship Rendezvous, two True Healers and four meteor blades battled out in wild and joyous abandon, and the melodic clash of the meteor blades sang a haunting tune.

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**Please review! **


	24. DGTTOM Episode 23

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**This is the second episode of the third story. **

**NOTE: I was so so so so stuck in this story I just had to delete and rewrite everything. The changes to the first two episodes of this third story is minimal, but fairly crucial. The third episode is almost totally different. I hope this would be a better story than what I had before.  
**

* * *

**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 23 _

**Destiny: Godson to The Old Man **

**_Banz_** Kalosis kept an eye on his second Soul Brother, Frank, even as he weaved his sword gracefully about him, skillfully deflecting all incoming attacks. However, this time he did not bother waiting for opportunity to disable them. He had a younger brother to look after and he could not afford that mercy.

So Banz simply lashed out and wound each of his opponents to incapacitate them the best he can without killing them.

_Lucky for them Hashashin Assassins! _

It was not that he was a mercifully person by nature. He was warrior born and a fire mage to boot. He left the 'feeling-merciful- bit' to Joe. But with an inter-galactic war looming, it was necessary to avoid killing whoever that could become potential allies in the foreseeable future.

Frank, it seemed was managing very well indeed. Who would have thought his second kid brother was also turning out to be a master swordsman? Banz observed Frank's execution of a series of intricate strokes as he smoothly blocked all incoming attacks. Yes, Frank's defense, as Joe predicted, was indeed flawless. And his attacks, when he got to it, were swift, unexpected and deadly.

And Banz pondered the different styles of the Hardy brothers as he swiftly dispatched his final assassin.

The elder's had a wider range of strokes, opting for more complicated set of moves to confuse his opponent. Frank's opponent seldom saw the attack coming when they were hit. The younger adopted a very simple set of very direct moves. Joe's mastery of those few moves meant that his opponent could usually see the incoming attack, but because those attacks were so skillfully and powerfully executed, there was usually nothing they could do about it.

Then Banz stood aside and watch Frank played with the final assassin for a while before finally putting him down.

"Beautiful swordplay, Frank." Banz complimented.

Frank accepted those compliments with the tiniest of a blush. He knew he had a long way to go before reaching comparable standards to Banz, Reiko and Joe.

As the two of them moved away from the battle scene, Banz noted that Frank spared a couple of worried backward glances at the injured assassins.

Banz sighed. It seemed like the elder's as soft hearted as the younger. That must be why Lady Destiny had him as their Soul Brother, Banz decided. So that he could make sure that no one took advantage of their good-heartedness.

"Don't worry, Frank. The reinforcements are already arriving and they will take care of the wounded." Banz told Frank. "And that means that we better get out of here."

**_The _**journey back to Starship Rendezvous was unexpectedly uneventful. They were not attacked by any assassins and Banz managed to squeeze in a quick piloting session for Frank.

It was just amazing, Frank thought as he took the Desiderata through the various advanced flight maneuvers, closely following the movements set by the Banz on the Amaterasu.

He was grateful that Joe had let him pilot Desi again for this mission.

Desi huffed.

_And to you too, Desi,_ Frank added mentally. _Thank you!_

Desi gave a small purr of satisfaction.

_It did take getting use to_, Frank thought, _flying a living being. _

More than once, he wondered,_what does those Dragon Class Guardians gain by allowing themselves to be piloted by someone else? _

_You'll slowly find out when you finally get to meet Tanaris, _Frank, Desi told him in an amused voice. _And careful young Storm Lord, Tanaris' mood is as temperamental as lightning. But you had 17 years training with Joe, so you should be fine… _

Frank's brow furrowed in consternation. He could hear Banz laughing in the background. Still, he could not help but to wonder when he would get access to his personal Dragon Class Guardian.

_You are eavesdropping on our conversation!_ Frank accused good naturedly. He was also getting used to having Banz hovering on the edges of his conscious thoughts. And he had also started to tentatively touch on Banz's mind every now and then…

_As soon as The Old Man recovered well enough to activate the Tanaris for you…_ Banz told him.

_The Old Man? _

_'Yes. He is the only one who can awaken all the eight sentient Guardians. They answer to his call for he IS lord and master over all of them. And you already know that the other 80 guardians were modeled after one of those eight.'_ Banz continued. _'In fact, you should be getting the Tanaris within the next day or two…'_

Then Banz's voice turned stern as he started to give his lecture:

_But you forgot to shield your thoughts, Frank. I am doing that for you now, again!_ Banz shot back. _I know it takes getting used to, but you've to keep remembering to do it until it become second, third or even fourth nature to you… you have to master true multi-tasking here, little bro! _

Frank sighed. He checked everything again. Mental shields in place, physical personal environmental scanner active, psychic surroundings scanner active. Yes, his heartbeat was in sync with Desi's Living Rhythm. And yes, his psychic energy was in sync with Desi's Living Energy. And all those didn't even include his physical multiple-task of piloting something as complicated as Desi. Talk about TRUE multi-tasking.

_Hey, I'm the one in sync with you!_ Desi snorted.

Frank turned a little redder.

Banz laughed. _Don't let Desi frazzle you, little bro, she's only doing that to you because she can't do that to Joe anymore_.

Desi snickered. _Its OK Frank, you should focus on mastering the flight techniques first. Any way Banz, care to have a sword fight?_

_Sword fight?_ Frank asked his excitement on the rise.

_Yeah, like you know that movie you watched from Earth… Transformers… is that right? Just pretend I am a prettier version of Optimus Prime_, Desi said.

_I've always wanted to pilot an Optimus Prime,_ Frank replied. _So yes, I would love to try some sword play… _

_Earth men are just so un- uncouth!_ Desi grouched.

_You're far more beautiful than Optimus Prime, Desi_, Frank hastily added.

Banz snickered.

_Now, this is how you engage Guardian mode, Frank_, Desi instructed while Frank listened and watched avidly. When the transformation was complete, Desi added. _I suggest you just sit back and watch me beat Banz for a start… I'll let you do the actually combat flight next time. That is, if you don't get the Tanaris by then_.

Banz laughed. _So you think you can beat me without Joe, Desi? _

Frank could hear the Amaterasu snorting in the background.

_I suggest you have a little more respect for Frank, Banz. He got some nifty tricks in his head!_ Desi huffed.

Frank grinned. He could not wait to see what Desi was up to.

Before he knew it, Desi was slashing out at the Amaterasu with an Energy Blade, putting a serious dent into the other Guardian's energy shield.

_Hey! That's not fair._ Both Banz and Amaterasu howled in outrage.

"We haven't agreed to start the match yet!" Banz yelled over the comm.-device instead of using telepathic communication.

That must be some hit, Frank thought.

_Lesson number one from Earth; females do not fight fair…_ Desi intoned as she threw two more rotating energy blades at Amaterasu.

Both Banz and Amaterasu cursed. But they recovered swiftly. Soon both Guardians were exchanging and dodging blows at such speed that it seemed they were not there at all. All the naked eye could see was perhaps a bit of a blur movement here and a spark of light there. The rest was the pure blackness of deep space.

Frank enjoyed that battle very much. Desi was indeed formidable, and he was so very glad to know that Joe would be well protected in this craft. Yes, he enjoyed that battle very much indeed.

**_All_** too soon, they were back on Starship Rendezvous again. Frank parked and then exited Desiderata most reluctantly.

_I know how you feel_, Banz commiserated. _I remember my first flight too. _

Together, the two brothers filed their report and made their way back to their quarters. With some luck, Joe should be back in their quarters waiting for them.

Frank could not help a happy smile on his face. It would be good to have Joe back in the same room. Life's been a little lonely in the last week.

His smile turned a little sad as he remembered his parents. He wondered, as he did every day, where they were and how they were doing at the moment. But he accepted there was nothing he could do at the moment. The Old Man had said both Fenton and Laura lives, and that Joe would know where to find them when the time is right. Joe had accepted that, so he had to as well. But a tiny part of him still balked at that. He wanted to be out there searching; surely his parents were more important than anything else? Instead he stayed. He searched his heart and knew he stayed because leaving would leave a part of Joe vulnerable. He could not do that.

And then there was Ceri, his soul mate. Ceri, he wondered how she was doing. He had not spoken to her since that day when he pushed her away from him. By the time he worked his way out of his guilt trap, he found out that Ceri had left with Reiko and her mother on a mission. He had tried to contact her without success, and had left her a message instead. He was grateful she responded. It was a short and simple message, simply saying she was well and that they would talk when she gets back. But Frank treasured it. He carried that note with him from the moment he got it.

**_Joe_** Hardy sat alone by the tiny porthole of a window in the cramp quarters he shared with his brothers staring into the blackness before him. The duel with his godfather had been exhilarating, but the knowledge of what was to come weighs heavily on him.

The door to their quarters opened and Joe turned to watch his brothers walked in chatting and teasing each other like old friends. He felt his heart lightened as he watched the newly formed camaraderie between Banz and Frank. It made him glad to know that whatever happened after the coming of The Shadows, Frank would have a brother to care for him.

And with luck, their parents would be there too.

Banz's and Frank's voices faded away as they registered his solemn expression as he stared at them. Joe felt a little embarrassed. He had not meant to spoil that light and happy mood that his brothers just brought into their quarters…

The silence was getting a little awkward.

Joe watched as Frank played with a little chip in his hand. That chip contained the access code that would give his big brother access up to level 3 classified files, level one being the highest level. And he watched Frank gave him a little smile as he commented, "I won't get the information that I would like to have from your files, would I?"

_Leave it to Frank to have that figured out_, Joe thought with a smile. Good to see his brother back in tip top form.

"No Frank, you won't…" Joe answered, and then he returned that smile he always used on Frank when he had something exciting to share with his brother.

He was gratified to see Frank's eyes lit up, like they always do back in the old days when he shared his stories lying across his brother's bed, and Frank sat on one end hugging his pillow and giving Joe his undivided attention.

"But I have a number of stories to tell, if you are interested…" Joe said slyly, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Do you need to ask?" Frank shot back as he settled comfortably into Joe's bunk and assumed a mock posture of a rapt audience waiting impatiently for the next tale to start.

Banz and Joe laughed.

There was a sharp rap on the door and a familiar head appeared at the door.

"Come in, father," Joe invited.

The Old Man walked in and commented with twinkling eyes. "You're not going to have one of your story-telling sessions without this old man around, are you?"

"Of course not, old man," Joe responded with a grin, which quickly faded as he comprehended the real reason why his godfather was here. He sighed; he did not expect things to move so quickly. The end would be nearer than he expected.

"Why not come over to my quarters?" The Old Man invited his eyes still on his godson. "It's more comfortable there and we can have some Tarik tea and sweet cakes while you're at it."

Both Frank and Banz made to move, and was surprised neither Joe nor The Old Man did. They watched, curious, as Joe hesitated, then finally nodded. They watched as Joe worked to cast a spell, and soon a series of symbols appeared on the four walls of the tiny room.

"This is one of the most powerful of containment spells," The Old Man said Banz and Frank. "It is used to mask the use of magic and powers by a practitioner so he could not be traced. It can also be used as a camouflage spell. It is something both of you will have to learn later."

The Old Man gave Joe another nod.

Joe lifted his right hand, and with a series of rapid gestures, invoked the Key to The Runes.

There was a blinding flash of light, and the four of them were teleported to a strange place. Both Banz and Frank had landed flat on their bums since they were unprepared.

There were huge chunks of rocks floating all over, and the entire place was bathed in the warm orange glow of a setting sun. Something told Frank that this place was forever bathed in the warmth of the setting sun.

"That's correct, Frank." The Old Man complimented before turning to Banz, asking, "Do you know where is this place?"

Banz looked around him and scanned his surroundings, then his eyes widened. "Runescape." He breathed. "The old legends are true!"

"Yes, Runescape. A world between worlds, the gateway from and to all worlds." Joe confirmed. "The place where time flows both forward and backwards, a place that protects itself by all means necessary."

Frank could not help but note the haunting yet ominous tone in Joe's voice. It boded ill as far as he was concerned. Again he wondered at the nature of power Joe held, and what responsibilities were attached to them. _'Or what price'_ an unknown voice whispered into his mind, light and fleeting as the breeze about them that seemed to blow without any direction.

The Old Man merely stared a long time at the glowing runes that floated randomly on every chunk of floating rock. He reached out to touch one, which shimmered and morphed at his touch. What he read must not have been good, for his eyes darkened considerably, as did Joe's.

Then The Old Man turned to face Banz and Frank again. "Both of you would be spending a couple of hours here weekly to learn the language of these ancient runes. Joe will be teaching you."

"Come Son, it's time to head back for some tea and sweet cakes." The Old Man suddenly said in a gruff voice.

A youthful hand gestured. There was another flash, and the four were gone.

The lone golden rune that was touched slowly lost its shine. It turned dull and brittle, then dark. Finally it crumpled to dust, to be blown away by the perpetual sunset breeze.

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**Please review! **


	25. DGTTOM Episode 24

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**And the third episode of the third story. (Note: rewrite from E1 to E3, so re-read previous 2 chapters too)**

**Bhar: Sorry this took so long. I was really really stuck. What happened was that even though I had the overall storyline, I didn't really have the details, especially for the Earth part - all my imagination went to what was happening in the alternate universe far far away. The problem with flashbacks writing is always that it would be boring because the reader already knows, in this case, Joe lives... that is, unless I can infuse it with enough of a sense of a mystery, or have something in the past that can threaten the future. Furthermore, I never like the way I wrote it the first time. Thought it was too crude and a little over-done. It took me deleting everything and restarting on an almost clean slate... gone through 35 pages worth of words before I got this out. So I hope this would be better, hopefully a little more personal too... should have next chapter up in 48 hours, then I must head back to gingerbread house if I still want to meet the Halloween deadline. **

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**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 24 _

**Destiny: Godson to The Old Man **

**_And_** four people appeared in The Old Man's room, comfortably sprawled out on the floor around a little coffee table laden with steaming hot Tarik Tea and sweet cakes.

Silence and stillness reigned in the room.

Both Joe and The Old Man looked like they were lost in their own world. Banz and Frank, on the other hand, were still digesting what they were told about Runescape and what they saw there.

Suddenly, The Old Man spoke, shattering the silent stillness.

"I suppose, Joe, it is time Frank knows what happened to him."

Frank looked up at them both, surprised. _What happened to me? What happened to me?! Nothing. Nothing, right? _He turned to Joe, but his brother continued to stare unseeingly into the nothingness before him.

Then Joe spoke to the ceiling above him. "I made him what he is, far more powerful than I expected."

Frank felt a chill settle in his heart. _What does that mean? Made me what? _

The Old Man chuckled. "A reflection of how much power you are capable of wielding, my son."

And silence resumed.

As much as Frank would like to ask the multitude of questions he had, he held his silence and waited. This was the time for patience. Patience he once was known for, and patient he would be now. And most importantly, being patient was the only way he would be getting answers.

"Do you remember The Church of the Corporate God, Frank?" Joe suddenly asked.

Frank frown a little as he searched his memories.

"It is one of the greatest mysteries of the century. One day it was one of the fastest growing cults in America, and the next day the church leader Father John Bishop and several thousands of the senior members just simply vanished without a trace. That missing-list included a good number of well-known politicians and celebrities. That incident sparked an entire slew of conspiracy theories…" Frank recalled.

Then he turned to his younger brother. "Now that you mentioned it, they disappeared just days after you vanished. I didn't pay much attention to that since Dad and I was both too busy searching for you… are you telling me your disappearance is link to that cult?"

It was then he remembered the enemy they were currently at war with was called The Corporation. Was everything all connected somehow?

The Old Man smiled. "What do you think, Frank?"

"My dad always said that there is no such thing as a coincidence." Frank said.

"Fenton is a wise man, and yes, they are one and the same."

"And what do you remember of my disappearance, Frank?" Joe asked again.

_What do I remember?_ Frank mused. He remembered everything. How could he forget? He searched for Joe for months, and he remembered it all again and again every single day for three years.

"It was the first day of school at Bayport High. You left home and never returned. The last person to see you that day was the football coach. Coach Becker said you left his office at half past four. You never reach your car. There was nothing else. No signs of struggles, no witnesses. No one knew what happened. All we could conclude was that you disappeared somehow somewhere between the coach's office and your car." Frank recalled.

"What happened to you, Joe? What happened back then?" Frank finally asked.

"I ran into the Terminator somewhere between Coach Becker's office and my car." Joe replied dryly.

At first, Frank thought Joe was joking. But his brother's serious expression told him otherwise. "Terminator? As in an assassin sent back in time?"

"A very high tech assassin; with limbs that could morph into guns and blades. Just like in Terminator 2, the movie." Joe confirmed. "Terminator was one of my all time favorites, until that day."

"Then how did you…" Frank could not help but to ask. He could not imagine Joe surviving such an Assassin back then. "Or were you retrieved before the assassin gets to you?"

"No to both questions, big bro." Joe answered. "It was Jorcan who came to my rescue."

_Jorcan?_ That was the first time Frank heard of that name.

"Jorcan was my son." The Old Man said. "Three and the half years back, I sent him out to investigate a strange anomaly at the edge of our galaxy. He never came back."

"I searched for Jorcan for months," Banz added his voice hauntingly soft. "I traveled this galaxy from end to end; pushed Amaterasu to the limit. I never found him. I never saw him again."

And silence again returned to the room.

It was a while before Joe started to speak again.

"In a nutshell, Jorcan saved me that afternoon. We escaped through a portal Jorcan created. Unfortunately, that terminator managed to fire a few shots at us. I was hit, very badly hit. One of the projectiles shattered my spine while another grazed my heart. In a sense, Frank, you can say, I died that day."

"But you didn't…" Frank said.

Joe closed his eyes and let the old memories rise again. And he continued his narration.

"When I woke up, I was in a dusty motel somewhere in Nebraska. Jorcan healed me. I felt totally exhausted, but Jorcan looked wearied to the soul and to the bone. We both needed rest, and while resting, Jorcan told me how he got to Earth. He accidentally fell through a space-time anomaly in his world. Then he told me what he found out about that cult, and that he saved me because of a Vision he had. But it was what he found out that was a shock to my system. The Space-Time Anomaly had also extended to a galaxy that The Corporation had recently conquered. They sent a scouting team through the Anomaly and found Earth, home to the only Humanoid race in our galaxy. They studied our history and culture, set up that cultic church, and were slowly gathering resources to build the machine that could magnify that Anomaly into a huge portal for entire armies to cross over."

Joe chuckled a little at that memory.

"It took a bit of getting use to. But it did not take long for me to come to believe Jorcan's story. I mean, once you put everything into perspective, what he said was simply scarily possible. America was the military power on Earth. A cultic church with hundreds of thousands of followers backing a presidential candidate. Not that hard to takeover Earth at all, and no one wiser until the aliens arrive through the portal. Very effective strategy. And Jorcan said he needed me to help him shut down that portal construction."

"How could you be of help?" Frank queried, curious. His younger brother was not exactly scientifically inclined back then. Joe's talent's in the arts based subjects.

"That was exactly what I told Jorcan, Frank. I mean, I read sci-fi fantasy stuff, but space age physics? But Jorcan insisted he saw me destroying the portal in his Vision if he could keep me safe from that Assassin. Anyway, that was about as far as we got in our conversation then, since that terminator guy found us again. We barely escaped that time, and Jorcan took a bad hit. And that was when things started getting really bad."

Joe's eyes darkened at that memory.

"Why would Jorcan want to help Earth by getting rid of that Portal? Why didn't you come home?" Frank asked, and then he wanted to bite his tongue. Of course Joe would not want to come home. Not with that killer on his heels. His brother would not want to risk his family's lives. In fact, Frank would have done the same thing. As for his first question, he already knew the answer to that one. It was all there in Valkar's tomes on _Space Wars_. There was no such thing as sub-space in the emptiness between galaxies, so one had to travel from galaxy to galaxy at light speed. That mean normal inter-galactic travel could take centuries. Inter-galactic conquest would be extremely difficult given the logistics requirements. A portal could enable instantaneous travel, giving the conqueror tremendous advantage. However, portal generation took huge amount of resources and was usually only large enough to allow a small ship and a handful of beings to cross over. That was why Reiko had to use the energy from the solar flare to generate the portal when retrieving him. But if a natural Space-Time Anomaly could allow the creation of a huge natural portal….

"Very good, Frank," The Old Man complimented.

"Was Jorcan's Vision correct? Did you destroy that portal, Joe?"

"Yes, I destroyed that portal; and a lot more… A lot, a lot more…"

That pain in Joe's voice… Frank wished he could wash away whatever caused that. But he could help his brother carry that burden.

"How?" He asked. "Tell me, Joe. Share it with me…"

Joe laughed a little bitterly.

"We ran and that terminator chased. Jorcan did not have the time to heal himself properly. The few strangers who tried to help us were all killed. Finally we were cornered. We were desperate, and desperation begets desperate actions. Jorcan was badly hurt, but I was relatively whole. He did what he called a Mind and Soul Merge and something else I did not understand but knew how it was done. Then he sacrificed himself, vaporize his body and utilizing the energy from there to open a portal to send me back to Long Island, close to where the portal was being constructed. And close to Bayport.

I spent almost a whole day in the dumps on the East End in rags looking like I was recovering from a hangover. I could hear voices in my head and was trying to sort them out while battling a monster of a migraine. I knew then I wasn't quite me anymore. I'm changed somehow, but I don't really know what changed. I could feel Jorcan in me. It was just rather overwhelming and terrifying. And I know that terminator guy's still after me. I could not help but wonder how it is that he could track me so effectively?

When I felt in control again, I got down to work. From Jorcan's memories, I figured out he was tracking the location of the portal construction by tracking disturbances in the Earth's energy fields. I traced it to the Church building right there on the outskirts of Bayport. So I took one of the undercover IDs we developed with dad and joined the cult as an initiate. I know I did not have much time, and that I had to find and destroy that portal generator before the killer finds me again…"

"There is one thing that still doesn't make sense. So what if you destroy the generator? They could build another one, right?" Frank asked.

The Old Man answered. "It's not exactly simply destroying the generator, but to use the generator to create a cosmic backlash totally wiping out or negating that Anomaly."

Then Joe continued. "I found the generator and was getting close to resetting that generator for self-destruction. Then the Church Elders, or those Corporate Aliens, discovered me. It was then I found out that they were less advanced models of that terminator killer that was sent after me. I fought them for a while, and then escape, leaving them to try to figure out what I did to their equipments. The only problem I had was that now I have a few more terminator-bots after me. Which was really, really crappy… Then that terminator arrived in Bayport. Using the skills and knowledge given by Jorcan, I managed to elude him for the next 24 hours. That was when he went for you, Frank…"

Frank looked surprise, for he did not remember any such incident at all.

"Of course you wouldn't. He didn't let you, and neither did I." His brother told him.

Why not? He wanted to ask. And then Joe was talking again, and Frank listened. He did not want to miss anything.

"The truth was both Jorcan and I were caught by surprise. We had not expected that move. But that terminator guy got you, and the game changed. I went to meet him at the cliffs at midnight as instructed. He was there waiting with you. He tried to kill you, Frank, as I watch. I managed to telekinetically move you just a fraction of an inch. The blade missed your heart but the wound would still be considered fatal by Earth Standards. I fought with the Terminator and defeated him, much to my surprise. But I couldn't kill him. My hesitance allowed him to open a portal and disappeared into it. Somehow I knew he would not be back. I rushed over to you and tried to heal you, but I couldn't get the healing energies to flow correctly. I was distraught and frantic, and you were technically dead at that point. Then I remembered, and I thought I could duplicate that…"

What did you remember, little brother? Frank wondered as he wished he was there too, so that Joe did not have to go through all that alone. The fact that Joe was narrating the entire incident in such flat monotonous voice instead of with his usual animated flair told Frank how deep these emotional wounds were.

"But those terminator-bots from the Church had to appear at the cliffs and interrupted my attempts to heal you. And I snapped. I got really mad and turned on them. I reached out with my mind, found out about those nanites implants that gave them all those enhanced capabilities. I broadcast that signal to flick that switch that causes the nanites to turn on their host, and the terminator-bots before me vaporized, totally annihilated. I didn't know that they already implanted that many of their human congregation. And with a single thought, five thousand six hundred and twenty four lives were snuffed out, just like that."

And Joe started to laugh a little bitterly, a little regretfully. His voice softens so much Frank had to strain to hear.

"They never even have a chance to scream, but I can still hear their screams after they realized they were gone, that they were dead, their ghost haunts me every day" Joe whispered.

"I didn't feel anything then. I did to you what Jorcan did to me, tweaked the DNA a little, enhance the self-healing bit, and then returned you home to your room. No one even realized you'd gone missing. After that I return to the Church and headed down to the labs where the portal generator was being constructed. It was totally deserted. I destroyed the thing, but was caught in the backlash. That was how I ended up here in this world…"

Frank reached over to engulf Joe in a bear hug as soon as his brother finished his story. It wasn't really Joe's fault those thousands of people died. He didn't know…

But for some reason, Joe refused to meet his eyes. That worried Frank.

"Joe did successfully destroy the generator, and also negate the anomaly. Without that, it would take many thousand years for The Corporation to make their way to your galaxy. It also closed off the backdoor into our galaxy, so that we would not have to fight our war on two fronts." The Old Man said to Frank. "Jorcan, in his attempt to save Joe, made Joe what he is today. And Joe, in his attempt to save your life, created a very powerful Storm Shielder. That was why we had to retrieve you despite the cost involved. You're too valuable to be left to your fate back on Earth."

The room fade back into silence once more, as each were lost in his thoughts and memories and regrets. It was a long while before anyone moved.

"I think its time to go to bed," Banz said. "We all have a long day tomorrow."

Everyone agreed.

As the three brothers were leaving, The Old Man motioned for his godson to stay behind.

After the other two left, the Godfather did not bother mincing words.

"You should have told Frank the whole truth, son. He should know because it affects him more than anyone else."

Joe did not respond to that, but a shadow passed over his face.

The Godfather sighs. "Frank's not stupid, he'll figure out, and sooner than later. Better it comes from you than him figuring it out."

"I know." Joe mumbled.

"He can handle that, Joe, and he can help lighten your burden a little." The Godfather added.

Joe stared at his feet and twiddled his toes, as he was wont to do whenever he felt uneasy.

Finally, he responded.

"It's not him, it's me. But you're right; I'll tell him by tomorrow. I bid you goodnight, father."

And he left.

The Old Man stared at the door for a long time, a worried frown on his face.

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**Please review! **


	26. DGTTOM Episode 25

**OK - back to this. Will be updating the next few chapters as I edit forward.**

**Bhar: sorry this took so long. Somehow things just aren't working the way I wanted. I think I complicated things a little too much here. But I think it's sort of ironed out now (finger's crossed) I hope I can edit and post the entire story 3 before my net connection went down. This chapter's mainly exposition, but there will be action later. Cheers **

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**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 25 _

**Destiny: Godson to The Old Man **

**_Joe_** took the scenic route from his godfather's quarters back to his own.

As he walked, he thought. He chuckled at Banz's comment that they needed to go to bed. It was still early. That was just Banz's way of giving him the break he needed after that emotionally draining story-telling session. Frank had gone along with it, having come to the same conclusion as Banz.

His godfather was right, he knew. Frank should know, and the sooner the better, so he would have more time to prepare himself. Then again, there's still the rest of the story to be told. Perhaps by the end of everything, he would be ready. Having worked things out within himself to an acceptable level, Joe cut short his scenic walk and head back to his shared quarters.

"Ah, you're back just on time, Joe. I was about to start telling Frank about your many mis-adventures after you got here." Banz greeted as he opened the door to their shared quarters.

"Darn, sorry Frank, now I can't tell you the truth of what really happened. Joe doesn't like it when he wasn't the hero in the story…" Banz added in a cheekily apologetic tone, only to end up laughing when Joe launched a pillow attack on him.

"Help me, Frank!" Both of them yelled out at the same time. The elder Hardy did not hesitate. He grabbed a couple of pillows himself and joined in the fray. It was clear to him that all of them could do with a bit of innocent mindless fun to release some of their pent up energies. He sided with no one – its each man on his own, and they had the pillow fight of their lives.

Later, totally exhausted, the three of them lay back in their respective bunks and chatted a little about their previous lives.

"…So yeah, The Old Man saved me from the massacre that night. I followed and served him ever since. I grew up with Jorcan; we're best friends and brothers. They were the only family I ever knew." Banz finished quietly, a faraway look in his eyes.

"And what about you, Frank? Joe told me all about his heroic big brother and the many mysteries that you guys solved, of course. Any other truths you want to add about that little brat I know that I should know?" Banz added.

There was a snort from Joe's bunk, which the two older brothers conveniently ignored.

Frank blushed. "Nothing much happened on my end, really. After Joe disappeared, I spent months searching for him. When Dad and I exhausted all leads, I retreated into myself. I ignored all my friends and my girlfriend, refused their company and comfort…Eventually Callie broke up with me and moved on. I retreated even more after that, and spent all my time with my books and going through your collection of DVDs and comics… coming to think about it, good thing I did though…" He finished with a little smile as he remembered the first time he saw that space-craft sitting in the midst of the forest. "Kept me sane these last two months."

"After Jorcan disappeared, I became sort of a loner too," Banz commented, giving the elder Hardy a sidelong glance. Their eyes met and both acknowledged that they do share some similar traits in character.

Joe, however, buried himself deeper into his covers.

"Joe, it's not your fault, you know. It was my choice, and I chose to be alone," Frank told Joe when he felt the strength of guilt emanating from his younger brother. "And it's not your fault that you can't come back after being caught in that cosmic backlash. You did what you had to do…"

But Joe did not respond and that worried Frank. Banz stared at Joe a long while before saying. "Let's make a pact, shall we?"

That got Joe's attention as he arched his brow at Banz, as did Frank.

"We're in the midst of war here, brothers. And there's no guarantee that we'd all make it," Banz said in a matter of fact tone. "Having been there and done that, I personally do not think that retreating into grief and living the life of a loner is a good thing. So I propose a pact: that whoever survives would be permitted to spend some time grieving, but then he would move on and live life to the fullest… for each other."

He turned to look the other two in the eye before continuing: "If anything happens to me, the last thing I want to know is that those I loved and cared for most would carry on living and be happy.

Joe stared at both his brothers for a moment before finally smiling.

"I think that's a great idea, Banz," he seconded the motion. _And I will make sure you both live_, he swore to himself.

Frank held back a while more.

"I really do not know if I could do it," he finally answered in a soft tone. "But I can promise that I will try."

Joe stared at his big brother quietly for a moment, "I didn't do what I did to see you waste your life away that way should anything happen to me, Frank. And Banz is right, anything can happen in war…"

Joe sounded disappointed, Frank noted. "It's not that, Joe. Just that, well, that pact's not going to work if we're already halfway suicidal about surviving the war…"

"I'm not a suicidal person, Frank," Banz cut in. "That's a taken."

Joe eyed Frank with a small smile, "Nor am I, Frank. And neither are you. I have every intention of getting through this whole thing alive."

Frank continued watching his brother. He had a feeling there was something else there, but he could not put his finger on it. It bothered him. After a while, he decided to move on for the moment.

"I promise I'll try my best to move on, Joe." Frank repeated.

"That's not good enough, Frank. I was here alone for the past 3 plus years and I moved on doing something with my life! I did it, so you can too!" Joe rebuked, a little desperate to get that promise from Frank.

"I cannot promise what I am not confident of delivering, Joe. And that's unfair – you knew we are all still alive. I believed you dead, Joe. Do you know what that does to me?" Frank shot back a vehemently, caught off guard by Joe's rather hard reaction.

"Now little bro, Frank has a point there." Banz cut in before Joe could. "And unlike us, he's only here like 10 weeks? Wait till he's here for a year or two before asking again. His views may changed by then. And, the fact is, he's the least combat ready amongst the three of us. If anyone's first to go, it's likely to be him."

"Unless… you're planning to sacrifice yourself for him?" Banz asked, his eyes narrowed shrewdly. "If that's the case, then you have no right to ask him, to ask us, for anything."

Joe opened his mouth to argue except no words emerged.

Frank stared at his younger brother, and wondered how close Banz was to the mark. It must be very close, Frank concluded as he watched Joe went silent, his lips drawn tight into that so familiar stubborn line. For a moment, he wanted to berate his little brother too. Then he noted that stuttered expression on Joe's face, the one that Joe had for weeks after Iola's death, and the protective big brother mode took over. He moved to guide the conversation topic over to something else less explosive. This topic might be a little raw for Joe at the moment, but he would return to this later, he vowed.

"So little bro, what happened after you arrived here? How did the two of you meet?" Frank asked, hoping to distract Joe from his morose thoughts.

Banz stared at Frank for a moment before he decided to move on too, and announced in a mocking exasperated tone of voice. "We met in a fight, Frank. Almost chopped off each other's neck! Your brother was most infuriatingly stubborn and unreasonable."

Joe chuckled, "You were demanding answers that I could not give because I had no idea what was happening, Banz…"

Frank stared at the two of them.

"So, what exactly happened?" Frank fought to keep his tone even as he threw Banz a withering glare.

"Hey Frank… you forgot the bit where HE almost chopped my head off!" Banz protested good-naturedly. Turning to Joe, he added, "I wish to complain, I think Frank's sporting favoritism here."

Frank turned a little red and Joe laughed before leaning back onto his bed and continuing his story:

"I landed in the dumps on Glenarine, homeworld of the Seers. It was Ceri who found me, lost and sick. She nursed me back to health. She was on the run from a pack of Keetas. Magically mutated dogs sent to kill her from a rival clan on the same planet. I saved her - accidentally. I was still trying to figure out what I was capable of back then. After that, I escorted her home to the Valley of Seers. We had some adventures on the way, saved each other's lives a couple of times. So yeah, we do know each other well. I can tell you, Frank, she's one gutsy and sharp lady. Sorry to say this big bro, but you're the lucky one to have her as your Soul Mate…"

Frank turned a little red at that statement. "Yeah," he mumbled, far too aware of what he did just a week back.

"Don't worry Frank, she'll forgive you… after you get down on your knees and beg her, that is," Banz added a little too helpfully, Frank thought. Frank also thought he heard Joe muttered something about Soul Mates and women, but he could not be certain. Then Joe was continuing his story again.

"I was quite lost in this world, so I decided to follow Ceri back to her home at her invitation. It was a logical move. She's my first and only friend here, and I need somewhere to stay while I learn more about my new environment. I met Seeress Glynnis, her mother, at the Valley. For some strange reason, she took to me and made me feel welcome at her home…"

"That ambitious and power hungry woman senses your innate talents and underlying power, Joe." Banz snorted. "And you being lost and new here was a bonus to her plans."

"Yeah, Frank, she tried to pair me to Ceri…" And Joe's voice faded off as he sank back into those memories. From the way his eyes darkened, Frank knew those memories could not be good.

Then Banz took over: "The moment Joe landed in this world was also when both The Old Man and I sensed Jorcan's essence. It was very weak and fleeting, but it was there. We traced it to the Valley of Seers. Reiko came along with us, being recently assigned as Personal Assistant to The Old Man… I found Joe first. I could sense Jorcan on him, but could only see Joe. You must understand one thing, Frank. One reason for that would be that Joe had done something to Jorcan, like kill him. So I wasn't exactly in the most generous of moods when I confronted that kid brother of yours."

"And I just had a run-in with another pack of Keetas. So you may say I was rather high on blood and low on patience myself," Joe added with a grimace. "We both demand answers and neither were willing to talk. The end result was an all out fight. Banz had the advantage there of course since he was fully trained and I wasn't."

"Still, you almost took my head off twice, Joe," Banz complimented. "As you guess Frank, we came close to finishing each other off several times over. I was both furious and curious. I mean, there was this fellow before me who was clearly untrained, and keeping up with me. And what shook me was when he started using moves that Jorcan favored. That had me convinced Joe was one of those Zorkian Vampires – one that could absorb skills and knowledge by feeding on their kills. I doubled my attacks, wanting vengeance for my best friend."

"The ferocity of the attacks had me stunned for a moment. I would have been killed if The Old Man, my godfather, did not choose that moment to intercede. He broke up our fight in two swift moves," Joe had to smile at the image of his silver haired godfather taking the two of them down. "You should have seen him then, Frank, all fired up and driving terror into our hearts by just standing there and glaring at us as if we were spoiled two year old brats fighting over candies…"

Joe stopped and took that moment to remember with much humor, his godfather's expression. Both he and Banz laughed as together they relive that memory.

"So what happened next?" Frank asked a little enviously. He wished he could be part of that.

"Uh-uh, Banz will have to tell you that. I was so exhausted by the fight, I collapsed the moment I knew Banz wasn't going to kill me." Joe said.

Banz continued. "I carried Joe back to the Valley. That was a mistake, really. If we had known what Seeress Glynnis intended, we would not have done that. But never mind. The Old Man tried to probe Joe's mind for what happened to Jorcan, but he was too tightly shielded mentally."

"When I woke up, The Old Man was there waiting. We talked. I don't know why then, but I felt like I could trust him with my life. When I found out he was Jorcan's father. I felt so guilty. It was like when Iola died all over again. But he didn't let me wallow in it for too long. Said I owe him a son," Joe chuckled a little at that memory. "He sat down next to me and explained exactly what Jorcan did. So yeah, Frank, you can say a part of Jorcan lives in me. I can pull on his knowledge at any time, and he is a formidable warrior. But I also have my own skills and talents, as given by Lady Destiny. Those I trained and honed over the last three years. My Godfather explained a good number of things to me that night. Far too much for me to digest in one go."

"Then, at dawn, Seeress Glynnis was there at the door demanding I return with her. For some reason, I did not trust her at that point of time. The Old Man publicly claimed me as his godson there and then. But Seeress Glynnis said that Ceri needed me, and she's my first and only friend here. So I went. That was a mistake. When I found Ceri, she was lying in bed semi-conscious… "

And Joe fell silent, clearly lost in those old memories.

"What's wrong with her? That was related to the mistake you and Banz kept mentioning?" Frank asked, and for some strange reason, his own heart started to pound harder.

"The Old Man, Reiko, and I raced to the rescue when we sense something was wrong. She had both of them drugged. Wanted them to mate and wanted to force Joe to initiate the Soul Mate bond. She thought Joe could." Banz sat up and looked Frank in the eye before finishing the last bit. "She set it up for Joe to rape Ceri…"

A flash of red took over Frank's sight and everything before him was suddenly view through a red haze. And almost before he knew it, he was onto Joe, his hands stretched around his brother's neck. He could barely recognize his own voice as he growled deep and low at his little brother.

"**_Did you? Did you touch her in anyway?"_**

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**Please review! **


	27. DGTTOM Episode 26

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**And the next bit **

**And thanks Dragon... I try **

**Bhar - forgot to tell you after my net access get cut off, the rest of my postings would have to be after christmas, I think. Ok - off to work on my next chapter. **

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**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 26 _

**Destiny: Godson to The Old Man **

**_Frank's_** hand was around Joe's neck for just a second before it was firmly yanked away.

_Banz!_ A small part of Frank's mind registered. The rest of him was still lost in that red haze of fury that rose out of god knows where the moment Banz mentioned what Joe almost raped Ceri under the influence of drugs and his mind automatically conjured the images to taunt him.

Then there was a hard and sound slap across his cheek, and that was quickly followed by a second one. For a moment, he was stunned. A familiar voice pierced through his red haze.

"Frank, come on, let me help you calm down… synch your heartbeat with me, now!" that very familiar voice demanded. It was a voice he trusted, he knew. He fought to follow the voice and to bring his wildly volatile emotions under control. And when he did, he was horrified that what he had just attempted to do. Not again, he thought in despair as he remembered how he almost killed Joe just barely a week ago.

"So sorry Frank, for hitting you that hard," he heard Joe telling him in an apologetic voice. "I just had to get through to you first…"

_Why was Joe apologizing to him and glaring daggers at Banz?_ Frank wondered, still a little dazed, from Joe's slaps and also from what he almost did. His heart, though in synch in Joe's, was still pounding extra hard against his ribcage.

Banz's grip on him loosened. But Frank noted that his soul brother was still holding on to his upper arm, and in a way that effectively limit his movements.

"Joe's glaring daggers at me because he knew I knew what I was doing, little brother." Banz explained in a contrite tone. "This was sort of what happened when we found Joe and Ceri. We didn't realize that Joe's Reiko's Soul Mate. That scene caught her and us totally unprepared. To put it mildly, Reiko reacted rather strongly…"

Frank could hear a snort from Joe, and his brother's voice muttering _'almost broke my neck too…' _

"So yeah, the pull of the Soul Mate Bond can be quite overwhelming if one is not prepared for it," Frank gathered Banz was reminding him of what just happened. "Joe disagrees with me, but, I feel its better I trigger that reaction here now, rather than have you get caught out by surprise later… you know, in case you happen to stumble upon something that seems incriminating, which I assure you can happen quite frequently here in the real world…"

Frank smiled back a little weakly. Why must everything in this world be so… extreme? Suddenly, he missed Bayport and his last three years with his books and solitude. At least, life was peaceful… But he wouldn't go back to it because then he wouldn't be with Joe. And his parents would be dead.

"So everything turned out well, I presumed?" Frank asked to distract himself from those memories.

"Well?" Banz gasped in mocked horror. "You should try coming between an elven archer like Ceri, a Faerie swordswoman like Reiko, and then a crazy berserker like your little brother. Both The Old Man and I had our hands full…"

Frank could almost visualize what chaos must have occurred in that room. _Wait a minute, Ceri's really an elf? And Reiko's a faerie?_

"It was actually quite a miracle that we all got out of it with no major injuries, considering who were in that confined space," Joe added softly. "Ceri was hit the hardest, those drugs almost killed her. It was fortunate godfather was able to dilute and finally neutralize those toxins. Seeress Glynnis thought, because of what I am, that she could force me to change destiny and initiate the Soul Mate bond using Ceri's life as the leverage. Unfortunately for her, I really do not have that knowledge nor do I have that ability. Soul Mates were chosen by Destiny, and can only be undone by Fate. The situation was made worse by Reiko's appearance on the scene. The attraction was instant and very powerful. It drove Reiko to try to kill Ceri and me. And I, for an instant I was torn between the two of them. One being compelled by the drugs, the other the natural pull of my Soul Mate. It was a horrible feeling really, to know that when you choose one, the other would die… "

Frank paled.

"In the end, there isn't a choice. What is an illusion can never hope to take the place of what is real. Banz managed to get Reiko back to some sense of sanity, and the two of us sealed our bond there and then. We had no choice and no time. The drugs within my system pushed us to act," Joe said. "But Reiko had me pay back for months afterwards for my breach of protocol and lack of respect for a woman befitting her station and status…"

"And Ceri? What happened to her?" Frank asked, his mouth a little dry. He could feel the anger rising again, but this time, he caught it and managed to temper it down. He caught Banz giving him an approving smile.

"The Old Man took over from there, Frank," Banz answered. "It took him a while, but he managed to clear her system. He was furious with Seeress Glynnis and wanted to bring Ceri back with us when we left. But Ceri, being the dutiful daughter that she is, chose to forgive her mother and to stay on with her people. 'My people need me' she said. It is true that her people are all under a curse, and has been for the last thousand years. And they believed that she was the one prophesized to bring an end to that curse. I can't tell you the history of her people, Frank. You'll have to ask her yourself. But, yeah, that's the story."

"What are you, Joe?" Frank asked, curious.

"I'm part of an old myth…." Joe lifted his hand to halt any further questions from Frank. "You'll understand as you master the Runes. It's easier that way, big bro."

"And I think we really have to get some sleep now. It's really getting late, my little brothers," Banz cut in before Frank could get a word out.

Frank sighed, and then frowned. Would he be able to keep his volatile emotions in check while he sleeps?

"Would you like me to cast a simple sleep spell, Frank? That way, you can be sure both me and Joe can sleep in peace." Banz asked.

Frank thought for a moment before nodding. He could already feel the migraine coming after those volatile mood swings. Why not? After all, if this were Earth, he would have gone pop a couple of aspirins and got himself knockout. So he laid back into his bunk and watched Banz work the spell. Then he let the soothing darkness draw him into a peaceful sleep right after he murmured good night to his brother.

**_Banz_** stood aside as he observed Joe watched his brother drift off to sleep before reaching down to gently tuck in the covers. After Joe was satisfied that Frank was comfortable, he moved away. That was when Banz acted. Swiftly, he cast a holding spell over Frank, and then moved over to corner Joe in his bunk.

Joe merely quirked an eyebrow at him and waited.

"What was that?" He asked directly.

"What?" Joe responded.

"Don't patronize me, Joe. Whatever that was that you buried under layers and layers of protection glyphs and holding spells! I recognize yours and Jorcan's handiwork there," Banz stated. "And Frank's a strong willed person. And unlike Rei, who's Fae, there was no reason why he could not have held back when I mentioned what happened to Ceri. So, little brother, I ask again. What is it that you are hiding?"

"That's between me and Frank, Banz," Joe hedged.

Banzed glared at his stubborn Soul Brother. "You seem to have forgotten that Frank's also my little brother. Just like you. And it's my business if that thing has the potential of hurting either one of my brothers. You know that, Joe."

Joe simply turned away and refused to meet his eye.

Banz sighed before continuing his lecture. "Okay Joe, but a word of warning. Frank hasn't realized what was there only because he is still a novice by our standards. But he's learning fast and you know that. It won't be long before he could sense whatever that is within him. He won't… oh goodness – it's far better you tell him so he can be prepared. And I think you should tell him as soon as possible. For both your sakes."

"I know, Banz. Godfather said the same thing. I'll tell him tomorrow. Really," Joe turned around and looked at his Soul Brother. "I promise."

Banz stared at Joe a long time before backing off. But one more thing still bothered him. He decided he might as well ask now. But it'll be up to Joe whether or not he wanted to answer that question.

"Joe," he called out a little hesitantly. "Suppose you and Frank were to have a death match. You with all your power and talent, and Frank backed by whatever that is… who will win?"

**_In_** a little room in a castle on a planet far, far away from Starship Rendezvous, two girls sat and laughed and chatted about their mates. They were safe within the protection of the Isogawa Stronghold on the Faerie Homeworld. Outside, a storm raged.

Suddenly, Ceri gasped in pain.

"Ceri! Are you alright?" Reiko asked as she rushed over to her friend's side.

Just as quickly, that spike of pain was gone, leaving Ceri mystified as to what happened. There was nothing wrong with her as far as she can tell. But her Soul Mate?

She smiled weakly back up at Reiko, saying in a worried voice, "I'm okay. I think it's something from Frank's side, but I can't be sure. Do you think we can contact them?"

Reiko took a quick glance out of the window. The electrical storm was still going strong. She shook her head regretfully.

"We can't at the moment; the storm disrupts all communication signals." Reiko said. "But I don't sense any distress from Joe at all, and I am sure neither Banz nor Joe would allow anything to happen to Frank. So, try not to worry too much, okay?"

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	28. DGTTOM Episode 27

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**And the next bit - would have got this one up earlier, but a friend from interstate visited. But, hope you'd enjoy this while I worked on my next bit. **

**Dragon: Glad you like it I have to admit I like this story for it allow me to let my imagination run totally wild. **

**Bhar: Sorry to day, my net connection cuts on 26th Nov I hoped to be reconnected by New Year, fingers crossed. But let's see how many I can get up before then, shall we? Btw, what is Diwali?**

**Skye: Yup - that scene will happen... later. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about it please be patient.**

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**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 27 _

**Destiny: Godson to The Old Man **

**_And_** that night, Joe dreamed. He dreamt of what happened on that fateful day and of the events that followed. Those old nightmares held him imprisoned as he relived those scenes over and over, and with each scene, his hands grew bloodier till he was swimming in a pool of fresh blood. Dead, they were all dead, not by his hand but by his will.

_He was walking towards his car, happily planning his date later in the evening. Something flung him onto the ground and then a shadow loomed over him. His anger at that transgression quickly turned into horror as the hand before him morphed into a sickle shaped blade. He stared as the curved blade started its downward journey towards him, too stunned to move. Then someone yanked him out of the deadly path of that blade… _

Throughout all his nightmares, for some reason he could never recall the face of his Assassin. So for obvious reason, he called him 'terminator'. During his multiple encounters, he was almost expecting his 'terminator' to go 'Hasta la Vista, baby'. His terminator never did that of course. But the 'I'll be back part', which he hated, kept repeating itself.

_He was watching the most amazing swordfight in his life. It was akin to watching that scene when Obi Wan Kenobi was fighting newly turned Anakin Skywalker on the fiery planet of Mustafarr. Jorcan skillfully blocked an incoming slash with his own flaming blade pushed the terminator backwards and returned a number of ferocious counter attacks that left his opponent little choice but to retreat. The terminator, on the other hand, kept morphing his blade into new shapes to parry incoming attacks. Jorcan clearly was the superior swordsman. Then he watched Jorcan did an intricate backward flip over the terminator, and was about to slice the terminator in half when the terminator morphed his blade into a gun and started shooting instead. Jorcan successfully blocked every single shot, just like the Jedi Knights did in Star Wars. Then the terminator turned his gun on him, and that was when things started going downhill. Jorcan must have known he could not defend both of them from ranged projectile attacks, and cast a portal spell for an escape route. _

_Pain, he always remembered that searing pain as something hit the base of his neck. He felt something shattered, and he knew he was dead meat… _

But he lived. And he mastered all of those skills that Jorcan displayed, and more. Both Banz and his godfather said his skills by far surpass Jorcan's. He never figured out why. He never understood why that could be when everything he had came from Jorcan; the skills, the talents, and the knowledge. He was given everything wholesale, and then more. He would never be able to forget the price of that gift.

_Jorcan was hurt. Very badly hurt. The sharp silver eyes were now glazed and dull. Blood was flowing steadily from an ugly gash just under the left ribs. And he was taking most of Jorcan's weight as they staggered through the dark alleyways. He could hear the mocking laughter that was so familiar to him. The terminator was near and getting nearer. He could hear the footsteps getting louder, clearer, crisper. Then he stumbled, and Jorcan fell heavily onto him. And the terminator towered over them, the curved silvery blade flashed in the light of the full moon. He closed his eyes and thought of his brother, then his parents. He was so sorry he would not be able to see them again… Then a shot broke through his thoughts. He looked up and realized someone shot the terminator's sword hand. _

_"Put down your weapon and step away from those kids," a voice shouted loud and clear. _

_"Are you all right, kids?" Another softer gentler voice asked. _

_Instead of feeling relieved, he felt his terror multiplied two-fold. "Go! Run! Get away from here!" He screamed at those two innocent law enforcement officers. _

_They ignored him. He could still remember the shock in their eyes when their bullets ricocheted harmlessly through the terminator. He would always remember the terror in those eyes when they were being dismembered by the terminator. He could still hear those terrified screams of fear. _

_That was when Jorcan acted. No, that was a sacrifice he made. He sacrificed himself so he could have the power to do what he believed he must do. _

Everyone knows that only a most powerful being could create life. That was why the omnipotent God had the majority of the support from Earth's population. About a third of Earth's population believed in the God of the Bible, and another one-sixth believed in the God of the Koran. But what his Sunday school left out was that there is power in death too. When one dies, power is released back to nature from whence it was taken in the first place. And when one willingly gives up life for another, the amount of energy released was tremendous, for what value could one place on the magnanimity of self-sacrifice?

_"Sorry Joe that I had to do this…" He heard Jorcan whisper to him. _

_Next he knew, Jorcan was fading away before his very eyes, and an instant later, liquid fire raced through every inch of his body. The pain was excruciating. He could literally see in his mind's eye his DNA code changing. Soon, those double helixes were replaced with strange symbols. His hands lifted and a portal appeared before him. At the insistent urgings of Jorcan's voice, he leapt into the portal he unknowingly conjured, and he landed in an unceremonious heap in a garbage dump. Every muscle in his body hurts, but that was nothing compared to the pain in his head. He barely had time to register the stink of the dump before he blackout. _

_He had awoken to one hell of a migraine, not to mention a cacophony of voices in his head. It took him a while to work out that he was down at the East End Dumps. He stank. It took him a longer while to work out the messages that Jorcan left for him. And that was when he realized Jorcan was gone. Not exactly dead, just… gone; leaving him to master the skills and spells on his own, a load of philosophies that he understood not, and a mission of galactic magnitude to complete alone. _

_Neither his dad nor Frank could help him this time. _

_Still, home was where he needed to go. With his newly acquired skills, breaking in was easy. He helped himself to some of his own cash, and pilfered a set of fake ID from his dad's office. In truth, he acknowledged he did not have to do that. But it was the excuse he gave himself so that he could see his family one last time. He spent some time in his parents' room watching them sleep. He stayed in Frank's room till dawn. He knew that there was only one way to ensure the absolute negation of the anomaly. He was not coming home after that. _

_"So sorry Frank, I can't be your partner any more…" he whispered to his big brother before leaving just before the first ray of the morning sun broke through the dark night skies. _

_Then he infiltrated the Church in Bayport. It took him a while to find the hidden laboratory. It took him another day to hack the security and gain access. And finally, he was in there reprogramming the entire machinery for self-destruction. He almost succeeded, but fate had it that he had to accidentally trigger a hidden alarm. The guards came rushing in and he barely made it out. That was when he realized that these Church Aliens were less advanced versions of the terminator that was after him. That complicates matters since he now had to be careful not to contaminate timelines. The situation got more complex when he sensed the terminator nearby. His newly enhanced psychic ability had enabled him to effectively elude the terminator. He chose that option because now that he had confirmation that the terminator was really from the future, he also knew that the terminator only had a limited time window in which to complete his task. He, on the other hand, was local and had all the time in the world. Well, all the time as long as the Church had yet to activate the portal generator. He kept on moving and eluding the terminator. _

That was a mistake, he could now see. He should have had the courage to face his enemy head-on instead of hiding away like a coward. Failing to find the primary target, the terminator must have researched his background, and gone after Frank instead. His poor brother had to pay the price for his cowardice…

_It was a dark and silent night up there on the cliffs. The wind blew but did not howl. It was a strange night. He made his way to the meeting point with a heavy heart. He could not let Frank die. But he could not let the entire galaxy, maybe even two, perish either. How would he choose? How could he choose?! Inside his heart, he raged at the fates for putting him into this impossible situation. And he hoped, prayed, and begged for a third option to show itself. _

_Then he was there. He could see the shadowy silhouette of his Terminator-Assassin, its dark cape fluttering in the wild night wind. And Frank was there, slumped unconscious in its arms. He watched horrified as the hand morphed into a blade and pierced right through his brother's back. He had reacted instantly, calling on skills he did not know he had and managed to shift Frank by just an inch telekinetically. The blade missed Frank's heart, he knew. But he could only pray that that was enough to save his brother's life. He charged in for an all out attack. The terminator dropped Frank to defend itself, as he expected. They fought, bitterly and ferociously, as the wind around them swirled and moaned. But the tables turned. Now he was the more desperate of the two. Every second he wasted on the fight equates to Frank moving ever closer to death's door. He had to hurry… hurry… _

_And he saw it. An opening! He went for it with Jorcan's flaming blade. It went clean through the terminator's stomach. _

_'It bleeds'__, he realized and suddenly he felt a little sick. I killed, oh my god, I intentionally killed…' _

_His hands started to shake as he slowly backed away. The terminator moved. It did not die. It moved slowly and painfully. It slowly drew out Jorcan's blade, and destroyed it with a laser beam of some sort. For a moment, he thought he had a second round of combat in his hands. But it must be more badly injured than he thought, for a portal appeared behind it and it disappeared into the portal. _

_He rushed to his brother's side. Frank was white as a sheet by then. The heartbeat was growing fainter. He was desperately searching through his overloaded mind for all those healing spells, and to calm himself so that he could channel the energies correctly. At the moment, his energy flow was all over the place, reflecting his panicky emotional state over the severity of Frank's injuries. Then despair hits him as he finally acknowledged that he was too exhausted from his battle to be able to muster the amount of energy needed to heal his brother… _

_It was at that moment that those terminator-bots from the Church appeared before him. Fury rose in him. How dare they interrupt his attempt to heal Frank! From somewhere deep within him, something stirred. Images flickered through his mind and he acted without truly understanding what he did. A single flick of his mind, and a single broadcast, and well over five thousand lives were gone. Just like that. _

_He should have been horrified, shocked by what he did. But he wasn't. Not at that point in time. The horror came late, much later; and much too late. All he could see before him then was this huge pool of energy he could use. There was power in death, but he did not understand what that really meant. By the time he comprehended its significance, it was too late. The energies from those deaths was what he used to pull Frank back from death's door. It made Frank a little like him, though not as powerful. It also created something else… _

It was true that there is power in death. The energies he used to heal Frank were dark with the anger and fury of people whose lives were ripped from them. If only he understood the difference back then. The difference was that the energy that Jorcan used was pure. Emotional power always far exceeds physical strength. And Jorcan's self-sacrifice was made from the purest of intention, with the generosity of spirit to save the lives of two galaxies. With that, Jorcan made him a True Healer. Or that was what he chose to believe, in honor of the young man who died so he and his entire family lived. And because of what he was, Banz's question was irrelevant. It was a wrong question to ask. If there was to be a death match, the question should be, whether he wanted to win or not.

_He could feel overwhelming relief washing through him the moment he finished healing all of Frank's wounds, and saw that Frank was breathing normally again. But he rejoiced far too soon. He was reaching down to gently ruffle his brother's hair. But the moment his hand touched Frank, a series of images exploded in his mind. Those were visions of the future. He knew then that he had created a Storm Lord; possibly a level four or five Storm Lord. But it was the other that chilled him. _

_The energies from the five thousand lives left over from the healing had fought against each other and merged into a single entity that was fueled by the fury and vengeance of being unfairly taken from living. It was used to pull Frank back from the brink of death, and so there it stayed and fought for control of its new host. It was something his brother had no defense against. Slowly the darkness spreads, and ate away what was Frank's soul, until all that was left was a monster with an insatiable appetite for destruction and revenge. And Earth had neither the experience nor the capability to deal with what his brother would become. The visions continued, and he watched battle after battle after battle. He saw the Earth that was left behind after the creature that was his brother, created by his mis-use of power, was done. _

That was when he learnt his most important lesson on power and responsibility. That was also when he felt true agony for the first time. A pain so deep he could not even scream it out. He knew what he had to do, but he just could not. So he sat there for a long time, staring dully at his brother sleeping in his arms, steeling himself for what must be done. Then, another vision hits. No, it wasn't a vision but a message left behind for him by Jorcan. It was a list of formulas for a series of protection glyphs and holding spells, and a final message for Frank's 22nd birthday.

Which was today, Joe suddenly realized as he awakened.


	29. DGTTOM Episode 28

**OK -the next bit. I took in Bhar's advice on swopping the chapters, and she's right, its better this way  
**

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**To Come Home on an Alien Land**

By Jolly

_Episode 28_

**Destiny: Godson to The Old Man**

**_Elysus_**, the Faery Homeworld, was currently in a state of total lockdown. The view from Elysus's only moon showed the planet bathed in a violet glow. The Faery Homeworld was well-known for its deadly electric storms. What was not visible from up there was the multitude of deadly electrical sparks arcing wildly within Elysus' atmosphere. Every single one of those blue-tinged sparks was unfortunately very visible to a young lady seated within one of many observation glass domes of the Isogawa Stronghold.

Ceri Glynnis tilted her face towards the skies, and let the lights from those deadly sparks play across the sensitive skin of her face. She was a Star Elf, and Star Elves love to feel mild light radiation skipping across the sensitive pores of her skin. Therefore the radiation emanating from those sparks was soothing to her. It helped calm her nerves.

"Still thinking about Frank?"

Ceri turned around at the sound of Reiko's voice.

"It's late, Ceri. You should be resting," Reiko said in an assuring tone. "I'm sure Frank will be fine. You know that Banz and Joe would never let anything happen to him."

"I know," Ceri answered as she returned her attention to the dark violet skies outside the dome. Then she added almost casually, "that's a lovely wrap you are wearing, Rei. A gift from Joe?"

"Aye, a Bonding Gift," Reiko responded with a light chuckle. "It was woven by Arcadian Weavers using the glistening silken strands of the Nandar flowers."

"Oh my!" Ceri breathed out as she took a closer look at that delicate wrap. Nandar bushes could only be found on Nandor. The silken flowers bloom once every 88 years. As a result, Nandan silk were rare and highly prized. It was used mainly by royalties and a handful of the wealthiest beings in this galaxy. Arcadian Weavers were known galaxy-wide for their delicate designs and handiwork. With several notable exceptions, they only weaved for royalties.

"How did Joe manage to get his hands on something like this?" Ceri could not help but ask as her hands lightly touch the cool silky smoothness of the material. "And what an unusual style… very classy yet casual, I don't remember seeing anything like this."

"It was designed by someone from his homeworld, Earth. He told me that there are a group of people called 'fashion designers' back there whose work was to design what others wear. This was apparently designed by someone called Akira Isogawa – how interesting that he had the same name as our clan. Joe thought it was most appropriate to use one of his designs for the Bonding Gift." Reiko told Ceri as she executed a slow pirouette to show off that wrap. "Joe said this wrap is called a 'Kimono' back in his world."

Ceri let her fingers traced the outline of the dragon that was woven onto the silky wrap. It was an unusual dragon with silvery blue scales – she was unfamiliar with that particular class of dragon.

"You're fortunate to have Joe as your Soul Mate. This is not a gift one can purchase off the shelves. It must have cost him." She finally said her voice a little sad.

"I am sure when the time comes, Frank will get you something equally special," Reiko said comfortingly.

Ceri gave her a hopeful smile before returning her attention to the storm raging outside of the protective dome.

"It must have been scary, going for the full bonding without knowing anything about the man that was to become your Soul Mate," she commented.

"It was," Reiko concurred. "But I didn't have much of a choice back then…"

"I'm so sorry for what my mother did, Rei," Ceri interrupted in an apologetic tone.

"It wasn't your fault, Ceri. It was your mother's actions, not yours. Please remember that fact." Reiko insisted. "More importantly, everything did turn out well."

Ceri looked unconvinced, but had no idea how to react.

"Joe's a wonderful person and a very loyal friend. You're lucky to have him for a Soul Mate," she finally said instead.

"Yes he is," Reiko agreed. "And I must thank you for taking care of him when he first got here."

"He saved my life. That's the least I could do."

"And you saved his. So I thank you."

The two of them eyed each other for a moment, smiled, then looked away. Suddenly, they were unsure of what to say to each other. So they returned to storm-watching.

"Rei? What do you think of the brothers?" Ceri suddenly asked.

Reiko watched her friend for a while. She knew what Ceri was really asking. She paused to gather her thoughts.

"They are both more alike than they want to admit," Reiko said. "Not to mention totally spoiled."

Ceri lifted her brows questioningly. But Reiko continued before she could make any comments.

"I know, at first glance, they do appear quite different. Frank has dark hair and eyes, while Joe has light hair and blue eyes. But if you look closer, you will find that they both shared very similar features. In fact, if you changed Joe's hair and eye color, the two of them could easily pass for twins." Reiko turned to face Ceri. "The same applies to their personality. At first glance, it seemed that Frank's more reserve while Joe's more expressive. That one's more introvert while the other's more extrovert and so on. In truth, both of them are equally uptight about their emotions and guard their personal space very tightly. Both are equally competitive…"

"I don't agree with you. Frank's by far the more competitive one. He's a perfectionist." Ceri sounded exasperated. "Joe's a much more open person…"

"That was what I thought too when Frank first got here." Reiko admitted, and then started to explain. "The truth is: they are both perfectionists in their own way. Both blamed themselves when the slightest thing did not turn out as planned. And they are both equally uptight about their true feelings and thoughts. Frank chose to project a more controlled personality, so we know that we don't know how Frank really feels about something. Joe on the other hand chose to project a more expressive personality, so we thought we know how he feels… I know Joe like to boast about his intelligent and logical brother, while Frank always gives credit to Joe's intuitive hunches. The truth is; they are equally logical and intuitive. You can see it from the way they master their skills and the way they handle situations that were being foisted onto them. If Joe wasn't logical and practical, a good number of the missions he went on would have ended in disasters. And Frank wouldn't be able to bridge the vast differences between our world and theirs this quickly if not for his own intuitive hunches."

"I think you might be right about that," Ceri agreed after thinking about it for a while.

"Of course I'm right!" Reiko huffed in mock arrogance. "I am fae, and woe to anyone who dare say I am wrong!"

"Not even Joe?" Ceri asked, her lips twitching.

"Especially not Joe," Reiko replied with a glint in her eye. "I've got him well-trained - Really!"

Ceri shook her head in disbelief and her lips started to curl into a wide smile.

"What? You don't believe me?" Reiko queried in mocked ferocity as her own lips started to quiver.

Ceri shook her head. "Sorry Rei… but I just can't imagine a 'well-trained Joe'. I think you'd have better luck training a Keeta."

"Anyway, why do you think they behave the way they did?" Ceri asked, genuinely curious.

Reiko went through her memory, recalling everything that Joe told her about his teenage years, before putting forth her theory.

"I think they did what they did to differentiate themselves from each other. They were only about a year apart, looked similar, and shared many similar skills and talents. They needed to feel like their own person, to become what they could identify distinctively as themselves. And you know how boys are growing up, always competing with each other. And these two are extremely competitive persons, mainly because they are both so talented. But these two, they love each other too much to allow something like sibling rivalry to come in between them. So when Joe saw his brother excelling in the logical academic endeavors, he shoves all his energy into the arts and sports. And when Frank saw Joe doing well at sports and being a natural leader in team sports, he turned his attention to individual events like cross-country running…"

Then Reiko's voice faded off as she realized she'd been babbling for a while. She shook her head and laugh.

"I seriously doubt if the brothers were consciously aware of what they did. I think over the years, they grew to believe in the excuses they weaved about themselves. Their paths never clash and cheered each other on, never really competing against each other."

"That sounds possible," Ceri commented slowly. "But why do you say they are spoiled? They are not arrogant and they are always more than willing to help…"

"Ah, well, there are spoilt brats and there are spoilt brats. What I meant was that they both coddle and spoil each other terribly and are in return spoiled by each other. I mean this seriously when I say, I truly doubt if there are anyone more spoiled than these two brats at the academy. And I am not referring to the absolutely scrumptious meals their mother cooked for them daily…" At those memories, Reiko's eyes darkened. She wondered how the parents were, but she had no way of knowing. Then she forced her thoughts back to the present. Ceri needed some help managing her Soul Mate, and who else better to give that advice? She continued. "Yes, the two of them spoiled each other rotten and selfish. I mean, with a brother like that, why would they need anyone else? And at the end of the day, it's always about them and their failure to protect those they loved. I mean, how much more selfish can one gets? Putting others first means putting what others NEED first, and NOT putting what they think what others need first."

Ceri blinked. Okay, she did not think of it from that angle.

"Well, I might have exaggerated things a little…" Reiko acknowledged. "But I stand by my conclusion that those two boys are spoiled. See, Joe said there is no such thing as a pre-destined mate where he came from. They get to choose. I'm sure, good looking and talented as they both are, they have all the girls lining up and fighting for their attention. Those girls would be more than willing to live the myths those two created for themselves. But here, things are different, Ceri…"

Reiko turned to face Ceri, making sure she had her full attention before continuing.

"I cannot have a Soul Mate who do not need me unequivocally, Ceri. So I told Joe that. It took him a long time to truly understand that very simple concept of Soul Mate Bonding being a two way street. I told him what being a Soul Mate is all about, that he cannot just shut me out whenever he thinks he was doing me a favor by shutting me out…"

"You mean Joe did that to you too?"

Reiko winced at those memories. "Oh yea, hurts like hell."

"Oh…"

"It was worse actually, given that both of us are strong-willed and stubborn in character. It got so bad that The Old Man locked Banz up and sent Joe and me on that suicidal mission to Erebus…" Reiko's eyes took on a faraway look as she remembered those times. "I might tell you the story later. But suffice to say, staring death in the eye and being willing to die for each other changed us. We agreed to start over, and Joe courted me the traditional way…"

Ceri's eyes widened as she listened to Reiko.

"The Old Man actually locked Banz up?" her voice was full of disbelief.

"Yea, it's the only way to prevent him from interfering. And I've never seen his hair redder or wilder than that day." Reiko admitted rather candidly to Ceri, who promptly giggled at that image.

Then she added in a much more serious tone. "That being said, Ceri, the truth is, you're not going to get Frank to value you as what you truly are by being nice and giving in to him all the time. You really need to let him do some of the hard work…"

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******Please review! **


	30. DGTTOM Episode 29

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**And the next bit - **

**Ok - all I can say is... I got too wordy and started to write in unnecessary conversation... so I deleted the entire chapter, instituted the changes suggested by Bhar and also from the comments from Bgees. Hope this gets me back on track. Things like that tend to happen, falling in love with words and unnecessary scenes. **

* * *

**To Come Home on an Alien Land**

By Jolly

_Episode 29_

**Destiny: Godson to The Old Man**

**_"By_** the time it was all over, Earth was a lifeless husk…" Joe told Frank in a voice just barely above that of a whisper.

He sat there on his bunk facing away from his brother as he told his tale. It was his little confession to make. He was grateful that Banz had chosen to head over to join his godfather for breakfast and left the two of them alone. He wasn't sure if he could face them both at the same time. That darkness was his creation. And he learnt his bitter lesson then, never to temper with fate. Still, he could not let Frank die. Not then, and certainly not now.

Joe could feel Frank sharing and surfing through his memories even as he spoke. He had given Frank permission to do so. He only wished that he knew what his brother was thinking or feeling at the moment. But Frank's shields were up, and Joe had to respect his brother's desire for privacy. He continued.

"The entity hungered so much for the light of life it took every life it could find. Yet whatever it took could not give it back the life I stole from them. When it was all over, the lonely creature roamed the dead planet desperately searching and never finding. That image was forever branded in my mind; an evil creature yet so pitiful that I created stood alone atop a blackened hill its face turned to the skies begging to be able to feel something in the still air, longing for a wind that no longer blows. I could still feel the agonizing hunger and painful loneliness…"

He forced himself to face his brother as he made one of his last confessions.

"I knew then I could not let all those come to pass. I scanned through all the knowledge I inherited from Jorcan, but could not find anything with which to fix what I had wrought. I also knew my knowledge set was incomplete, but given what I saw and the fact that I was running short of time… I knew I had to let you go then. But I already brought you back to the living. That meant that I had to kill you…"

His voice faded off as he watched Frank staring back blankly at him, a horrified expression on his too pale face.

"I killed mom and dad…" his big brother croaked.

"No Frank. You didn't… You didn't kill anyone. You were gone by then. IT did. I did, Frank. I created that thing, so I did, not you, never you, bro…" Joe replied shaking his head; he needed Frank to know that it was his fault through and through, everything, even the three years of so-called self-enforced isolation. It was entirely his fault, for using his powers in ways he should not. For using his powers when he had yet to understand the implications and the consequences. And for being the trouble-magnet that he always was in the first place…

Then he cursed softly as he noted his brother's eyes were a little glazed. He forgot that this was Frank's first attempt at sharing memories at this level. Knowing Frank and his penchant for details, his big brother must have gotten lost in those gruesome details in his head. He placed both his hands on his brother's shoulders, gave Frank several hard shakes and at the same time worked to kick his brother out of his mind. And the guilt he carried in the past three plus years again doubled its burden. It seemed that he was always hurting his brother in some way, both physically and meta-physically, even when nothing was happening. Last night he just whacked his brother twice, now he was violently shaking him, and that mental shove he gave Frank must have hurt. And he had yet to factor in the emotional impact.

"Frank, listen, FRANK!" He punctuated each syllable with a hard shake of his brother's shoulder and was gratified to see Frank slowly coming out of it.

And he repeated: "Frank… You didn't kill anyone. You were gone by then. IT did. I was the one who created that thing, so I did, not you, never you, big bro… and that 'future' never happened. It never happened. Jorcan foresaw it and helped me prevent it…"

"It's still there in me, isn't it?" Frank whispered in a hollow voice.

Each word was like a jab in Joe's heart. Yes, IT was contained temporarily. But it was still there. And he still did not know what it was, exactly. He turned away from his brother and closed his eyes before giving a quick nod.

"Yes," he confirmed.

Then, as he watched his brother leaned back against the wall and away from him, he pleaded for understanding. "I'm so sorry, Frank. I just wanted you to live…"

But Frank did not respond, and Joe could only watch on anxiously and wait. He hated waiting. He always did. But the last three years had taught him much about waiting. So he waited. He could see Frank clenching and unclenching his hands. Joe knew Frank was going through his memories again. Then his big brother was gone from his mind, and Joe assumed that Frank was going through his own psyche trying to examine that creature as well as the spells that held IT dormant within him.

Finally Frank opened his eyes and turned to him.

"You were going to kill me." Frank stated quietly.

Joe lowered his eyes, stared at his hands, and responded in a painfully soft whisper.

"I want you to live, but I couldn't let you become that creature either. I know you wouldn't want that. If the situation was reversed, I would have expected you to do the right thing and return me to the dead too. But if I were you, all these might not have happened in the first place… if I were you…" Joe let out a bitter laugh. "But I wasn't you Frank, and that was my best shot. I did all the things I should not, tempered with things I should not… and you had to pay the price for it… when it should have been me. It should all have been me… So yeah, I was thinking of killing you, then I'll join you after negating that anomaly. But it didn't turn out that way. Jorcan's message got through. And from there, I managed to contain that creature…"

"Can you kill that thing? You can kill it, right." Frank suddenly asked.

"Not without killing you too. I still haven't figured out how to separate it from you. I used that set of energies to heal you, and it meshed itself into your life-force." Joe confessed guiltily.

"Joe… I don't want to turn into… that."

"I won't let you, Frank." Joe told his brother firmly. _I'll find a way somehow I'll find a way…_

"Can you kill me if… if I become… that? I mean, can you kill that?" Frank asked again, this time, with an intensity that bothered Joe.

"I'm not going to kill you. Don't even think of…"

"But can you?" Frank interrupted, and then added in a softer pleading tone. "Please Joe, I need to know…"

His brother's shields were up tight, and that wasn't a good thing as far as Joe was concern. He was, for a moment, tempted to just blast through those shields. Then he was instantly ashamed for even thinking of that. He stared at his brother for a moment before finally answering.

"Yes, I can. But…"

"Promise me you won't let me become that." Frank interrupted again.

Joe winced at his brother's painfully tight grip on his arms. A part of him understood what Frank needed. He would have asked for the same thing. So he conceded.

"I'll never let you become that, big bro. You know that. But I won't kill you either."

"What if you do not have that choice, Joe," his brother asked him in a calm voice.

Joe sat up straight in his bunk.

"What are you saying?" he asked his brother.

"Whatever you used to hold it… its already slowly unraveling… I… Joe… I can feel it struggling to get out…"

Joe reached out for his brother and held him tight for a moment, effectively silencing him. Then he let go and looked his brother straight in the eye.

"I know," he said in a soft voice.

He watched Frank's eyes widened in surprise, perhaps his brother felt a little betrayed?

"You know? I supposed you would." Frank said.

"I know, as do my godfather. While it is true that things are emotionally more … 'extreme' here than on Earth, as you put it, a large part of those volatile moods you have been having were also due in part to bits of that entity managing to break through every now and then…" Then Joe made his final confession. "Before I left you back on Earth, I also left behind a compulsion for you to prefer solitude. That was why you were alone those three years, Frank. I could not risk the spells unraveling before their time, and the more people coming into contact with you, the greater the risk of… yeah, so even that part of your life was my fault."

So much of what Frank went through was his fault, Joe mused sadly. How could Frank still love him after all these? He continued with his explanation because he knew his brother would expect that. He continued because he owed it to Frank to tell… everything.

"I knew back then that we'll meet again some day, because Jorcan said so in that first message. My godfather, Jorcan's father, knew everything of course. He told part of it to the council, and we have been keeping an eye on you back on Earth ever since. I knew what would happen, I just did not know when. It's the way things work here; I'm not allowed to know when. So I could only wait. Then one day I return from a mission to be told that you're already here and there's a legion of Deathwings after you. The council permitted the retrieval because I told them what I have created. Like me, they computed you to be a level 4 or 5 Storm Lord. You being a level 10 was unexpected, and definitely a bonus to them. And they were really more than satisfied with your performance at the Academy."

Joe smiled a little smile as he remembered the few happier days they had together in this world. Then that tiny smile vanished as he directed his narrative back to the part about the unknown entity.

"Those glyphs held till you got here. Then it started to unravel. Slowly at first, but it is picking up pace. That was why Banz only sense it last night. Actually, more than half of the spells have already dissolved. My godfather and I have been holding that entity back for the last few days. That was why godfather insisted I have to tell you. Because at the rate the holding glyphs are dissolving, you'll feel that darkness soon. He said its better you know what's happening so you could be prepared. But I… I hoped that you would never need to... I was hoping I could figure out a solution before that need ever arises."

"You haven't found a solution, have you?"

Joe flinched at his brother's rather dull tone of voice. "No, not yet… But I will find a way, I promise you that."

"And if you can't?" Frank asked. "If you can't, Joe, you have to let me go…"

"I will never let you go, Frank," Joe stated firmly, never once breaking eye contact. He needed Frank to understand that he would never let go, ever. "So don't even think of trying suicide, because I will follow you. I swear I will follow you and to hell with everyone and everything else!"

**_Frank_** Hardy stared back into his brother's unwavering gaze. Joe meant every word he said, Frank thought. He wasn't exactly planning anything suicidal; surely Joe would understand that he could not allow… Joe's right, however he was thinking of putting an end to that problem, it was called suicide, dammit!

He wasn't quite sure how to react. Suicidal was definitely not a word he'd use to describe himself. He just had to admit that the events of the past two months might have just tipped him over the edge, if not the events of the past two months, then certainly the revelations of the last two hours.

It was just too much for him to digest. The logical part of him was analyzing the objectively. That part of him could see why Joe did what he did. However, another part of him was annoyed with his brother from keeping something of this magnitude from him. He should have been told earlier! Joe had no right to keep him in the dark when he was carrying something that destructive in him. Something that powerful… Then the annoyance grew into anger and burst into fury, catching him totally off guard, and a tiny part of him watched in horror as a tiny storm sphere headed out towards Joe.

But Joe was prepared for that this time. The logical part of him watched his brother worked to calm the overwhelming anger that was artificially inflamed by that entity within him. He watched and he learned and he took over to temper those volatile emotions. Then he watched Joe caught that little sphere in his palm and neutralize that deadly little thing before his eyes.

And Banz came crashing into the room.

Frank observed what happened next almost as if he was in a dream. All three of them stayed in their respective positions and eyed each other with concern. He was still able to feel concern about Joe. And that was a good thing.

Then everything came crashing down. He started laughing. He saw Joe's worried expression and that made him laugh even louder. He wasn't exactly clear on why he was laughing or what it was that was so funny. He saw Banz and Joe exchanging baffled and worried looks, and it tickled him even more. The entire situation for some reason was just hilarious to him.

He would hardly have thought he could get into THAT much trouble without even trying. He shook his head and wiped away his tears. Perhaps that was God's way of showing him how Joe must have felt when everyone kept needling him about being the 'trouble-magnet'. He could certainly now appreciate the view from the other side. No wonder Joe always had this fantastic yet strange sense of humor.

"Sorry… it was… the stress…" he finally told Banz and Joe rather lamely after he recovered from his laughing fit.

Each of his brothers returned a careful smile. He could feel the anxiety under those little smiles. Banz was looking at him as if he got two heads. And Joe looked… terrified. Poor Joe must have thought that he finally pushed his normally steady and logical brother over the edge. Perhaps his baby brother succeeded after all.

"Actually, it is good to know that I am not going nuts and that it was something else that's causing all those wild emotional outbursts…" he finally said to Joe, and had to rein in another urge to laugh at that half terrified, half worried expression on Joe's face. "Don't worry little bro, you haven't driven me nuts yet, but, almost…"

Frank was surprised at how well he was taking it himself. It did not take long for him to figure out that he was in fact 'relieved' to know that there was another reason for all those anger and fury that he was feeling lately. Those little inexplicable burst of fury that just came and went for the last month in increasingly frequency had terrified him. He had considered the possibility that he was breaking down, and was planning to approach the Council to have them remove him from active duty so that he would not risk Banz's or Joe's life. So, yes, he was definitely relieved to know that he was all right. Of course he was not really all right, that entity was still battling to take over him. But he definitely felt better knowing. It gave him something 'practical' to focus on.

"I'm so sorry, Frank."

That voice was filled with so much pain. Frank lifted his eyes and examined his brother, who was still looking at him with fear in his eyes. Not fear for his life, but fear for losing his love and respect. He skimmed through Joe's memories again. He watched his brother's desperate flight from the terminator, watched that frantic battle Joe fought for his life. He felt his brother's joy when he thought there was hope, felt that joy turn into the darkest despair when he realized what he had wrought. He watched Joe used Jorcan's notes to cast all those protection glyphs for him, and then watched his brother destroyed the anomaly. He went through Joe's numerous adventures in this world, felt his heart almost stop several times over during some of Joe's close shave with death. Joe always took on more than he should because he felt guilty over all those deaths, and over him. His poor, poor brother should learn how to let go of his guilt.

And then after he arrived here, Joe had gone all out to make things comfortable for him. All those hits he took from that creature that Frank didn't even know about, and most of it in the aftermath of his near death injuries too. Whatever Joe did, it for definitely out of love for him, and for him...

"Come 're little bro…" He opened his arms and Joe went straight into them, just like he used to when they were kids.

"So sorry Frank, I'm so sorry…" Frank could hear his brother sobbing over and over. He guessed Joe had never really been given a chance to sit back, to reflect, and to grieve.

"Its okay baby bro, we'll figure out a way to beat this thing. We'll do it together, like we used to… And there's still Jorcan's second message…" Frank crooned softly.

He held his brother tight. In part because he was the big brother and Joe needed that at the moment. And in part because he missed having Joe confiding in him the way he used to when they were back in Bayport. They would talk and discuss the situation later. Now was the time for letting go of all the pent up fears and frustrations. Now was the time to regain what was lost over the last three years.

Banz watched them for a short while more before quietly making his way out of the room. He stood out there in the corridor and waited a satisfied smile on his face. Frank was right, everything else can wait, just a little while more.


	31. DGTTOM Episode 30

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**And the next bit - grr... so much info and it is hard to put them in order ... I'm also going back to shorter chapters for a while. I noted my chapters are getting longer and draggier - would like to try to get back my more crisp style of writing... hopefully next bit can be up tonight... **

**Bhar: Thanks again for your unwavering support. I only wished that this was as well planned as the Candyman story so you can just enjoy it rather than having to re-read it every once in a while as my writing goes off trajectory. **

**Bgees: hmm ... I think your pm function is off. Is it OK to email you instead. Re - your note, there are a good number of fanfics that are alot more 3D than the books. HDA site has a good number of those. My favourite HB stories are by Stormwatcher. I love piper's rewrites of the UB series, those are cool. I do enjoy Phx's and Red's stories too. **

* * *

**To Come Home on an Alien Land**

By Jolly

_Episode 30_

**Destiny: Godson to The Old Man**

**_Later_**, the three of them were seated on the floor in The Old Man's private quarters. The second message that Jorcan left for Frank's 22nd birthday was actually coded for his father. They waited nervously as The Old Man studied those coded holographic images. Banz had already asked why the glyphs and spells could not be re-casted, and have learnt that the darkness within Frank absorbed the essence of each spell such that it could only be used successfully but once. And Joe and Jorcan had used literally every single protection spell and holding glyph known in the galaxy. So The Old Man moved, and three pairs of eyes turned anxiously towards him, hopeful expressions on their faces.

"Give me a moment to gather my thoughts, son," The Old Man requested before turning to view the stars, his expression thoughtful.

"Yes father," Joe responded. "But can I ask why was that message timed for Frank's 22nd birthday?"

"Two reasons, son. Firstly, Visions gets more imprecise the further away from point of viewing. Jorcan could not pinpoint the exact date of Frank's arrival in this world, but he could see Frank here on his 22nd birthday. And second, Jorcan chose the closest date to when most of the glyphs would be worn off." His godfather answered with his eyes still on the stars.

Joe could feel tension emanating from Frank at that statement, so he sent waves of reassurance over to his big brother. He saw Banz reaching over to give Frank a quick and comforting squeeze on the shoulder from the corner of his eye. But what caught his attention at that moment was the sadness radiating off his godfather. He did not fail to note that his godfather's movements seemed slower and more tired than usual.

'I am getting old, son,' his godfather told him telepathically.

'I'm sorry about Jorcan, father,' he returned guiltily.

'Jorcan was my son, as you are. He is Visionary; he fulfilled his duty. I know that for certain now, and I am telling you that you have nothing to feel guilty about. All that happened then was what was meant to happen.'

The Old Man shook his head slowly, and Joe could see the beginnings of a wry smile on his godfather's face.

'And you, Joe, have an extremely complex destiny. I am honored to have you as my son, but I do not envy you.'

'Back on Earth, they all call me a trouble-magnet. I have a tendency to attract and get into all sorts of trouble,' Joe responded with a casual mental shrug.

It wasn't difficult to feel or see the hurt under the careless tone, the godfather thought. 'I'd say that responsibility has a way of turning up at your door because it knows that you would always choose to do right by it. You've never let me down so far, and I am very proud to call you my son.'

Joe blushed. 'I try, father.'

'You poured your heart and soul into every project and every mission,' the godfather admonished. 'There is nothing more that anyone can ask from you. And you know that, son. All you have to do is to believe that.'

Joe lowered his eyes and looked away. The Old Man sighed in frustration, _stubborn lad_, he groused to himself. Then return to his contemplations while staring into the soothing emptiness of the space before him.

"So many things to do… yes, everything's starting to come together…" the three young men could hear The Old Man muttering.

Finally The Old Man turned around and gestured to Frank to sit down on the only couch in the room. Then he turned himself into pure energy and proceeded to conduct his first thorough examination of the darkness within using the information provided by Jorcan.

Frank could feel something warm moving through him. He could feel the entity shield away from that warmth, and felt hope rising. Then there were sharp agonizing pains as the entity reassert its hold on him, and he felt that momentary hope fading as the warmth retreated. He opened his eyes to see a pair of silvery eyes looking down at him. But he could not decipher the expression on The Old Man's face.

"Do you know what it is?" Joe asked.

"Jorcan named it Legion," his godfather replied curtly.

_Legion?!_ Frank thought, open mouth. _Not another movie!_ He groaned inwardly as he remembered an old Earth classic horror called _The Exorcist._ Who knows, maybe he really was dreaming this very elaborate dream and would wake up tomorrow to find Joe in his own bedroom just across from their shared bathroom…

'So sorry Frank, I'm afraid you're definitely NOT dreaming,' Joe said to him telepathically and he cringed.

He felt Joe flinching from his reaction and sigh. 'Sorry bro, did not mean to make you feel bad. I know why you did what you did, and I can honestly say that you really did the best given the situation. I would most likely end up doing the same thing if I were you.' He told his guilt-stricken brother in a firm tone.

Joe returned his big brother a grateful smile. _That's Frank, always putting his welfare above his own, even when he was the one clearly in need of help_, Joe mused silently. Then Frank's earlier comments hit him. _It IS strange that so many of the situations and beings here in this galaxy shared similar features to Hollywood movies back on Earth. In fact, some similarities, like the terminator, were uncanny_… he thought.

The Old Man nodded tiredly before continuing. "Spirited energies that was neither here nor there. They were neither dead nor alive. We have not seen any of those here for hundreds of thousands of years. So far back I am not even certain if the ancient name for such a being could still be found in our oldest archives."

"I created them when I ripped all those souls from the living, but did not really kill them. They hunger because they are not really dead. Yet their hunger cannot be sated because they are not alive. I left them in an agonizing state of non-existence, forever starving, and so they lashed out in fear, fury and vengeance." Joe said, suddenly understanding exactly what he did.

"It is extremely difficult to separate a Legion from its chosen host, because the host is its only affirmation that it exists. Therefore a Legion hangs on to the host at all cost." The Godfather continued his explanation. "Once separated from its host, its spirit energies must be dissipated and then preferably sent to rest. Otherwise they would just search for another host and another victim. And since this Legion is from Earth, the only way to lay them to rest would be to return them home."

"You're not telling me that there is such a thing as exorcism, are you?" Frank asked The Old Man, scenes from that horror classic still flashing through his mind. He shuddered as he imagined himself on that bed as Father Damien performed the ritual.

The Old Man turned his focus back to the elder Hardy easily skimming that bit of information from the youth's mind. Actually, he's having a hard time deciding which brother he's going to feel sorrier for. Both are in for a very tough time ahead.

"Those Latin incantations and spells, exorcism, as you call it, are only for very weak Legions, Frank. Like those that were made of 4 or 5 different threads of spirit energies." The Old Man finally answered. "But the one in you is made up of well over 5000 different threads of very disgruntled spirit energies…"

"And we would have to somehow put each one to rest one by one, wouldn't we?" Banz asked, shaking his head at the magnitude of that exhausting task. He wasn't even certain if that could be done. "Unless we could somehow simply destroy them…"

"I'll have to find a way. I created it. So it would be my responsibility to set them to rest," Joe stated simply.

"There is a limit to how much a body can withstand, little bro," Banz protested staring wide-eyed at Joe and flicking a nervous glance at Frank.

"Joe, do not…" Frank began.

But Joe cut him off. "I have to, big bros," then he turned to Frank, "and even if I am willing to let you go, brother, which I am NOT, I'll still have to put all those poor souls to rest."

Joe stared them both in the eye and watched them struggle to digest what he said. _Please, understand that I have to… _Then;_Come on, have faith in my ability_… he implored silently. Finally both nodded their heads in acceptance and waited for his next move.

Then he turned to his godfather and asked, "Jorcan did leave a note or a clue on how to get that creature separated from Frank, right?"

The godfather sighed even as he refused to face his godson. He let his weariness roll off him, and knew his godson would be able to feel the weight of that exhaustion. Jorcan did leave a note on how that might be done. But visions received that long ago were rarely perfect, and in this case, Jorcan had made a number of wrong assumptions.

When he finally turned back to Joe, his eyes reflect sympathy for his youthful godson. "Yes, Jorcan did leave more than a clue. He left instructions on how to destroy that Legion from Frank, to be used as a last resort. It is preferable that we figure out a way to separate the Legion from the host and sent those thousands of spirits to rest… But I no longer have that ability, nor do I wield that power anymore. I used everything to heal you a week back, son. The Dragon-Fyre is no longer with me. It is yours now, son."

Joe paled. Unlike he knew exactly what his godfather meant. The Dragon-Fyre was now his, but it was only his to claim. He did not have it yet. Even if he managed to successfully complete the Rite of Ascension to lay claim to the Fyre, it would be another 13 days before he could wield it in any meaningful way. But Frank had at most 7 more days before the last of the glyphs wore off…

"So Jorcan suggested using the Dragon-Fyre to burn out the darkness…" Banz murmured then added for Frank's sake. "Even so, that is one dangerous and extremely painful process. Only the strongest willed beings survived a Dragon-Fyre Cleansing rite…"

Banz noted that Frank was listening avidly, that little twitch in his left jaw muscle the only indication that betrayed how tense he was. Joe's lips were drawn into a tight grim line, and he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. So Banz asked the next question on his brothers' behalf.

"Is there no way at all to separate the Legion from the host?"

The Old Man was eyed his godson quietly for a moment and said simply, "When the host dies, the Legion automatically leaves the body to search out a new living host…"


	32. DGTTOM Episode 31

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**And the next bit - lol - I thought I better try to pen some words here and there before I forgot totally how to write. And this story is highly dependent on spurts of inspiration, being really quite unplanned... despite of the fact of a general storyline... like this chapter - it was originally supposed to be Cybermen, from Dr. Who, but I couldn't get Transformers out of my head. **

**Bhar: Ah, sorry, I forgot to acknowledge the fact that I took your suggestion and pushed the girls scene earlier to where you suggested. **

**Bgees: Yeah, I got a thing about movies, history, classics, and legends I can only hope I don't run into copyright and copyleft problems... Thanks, I'll get to the pms bit when I start the Candyman part again... at the moment I think I like Dr. Wong, but Skoda might be a more interesting write. Olivet is similar to Wong, right? **

* * *

**To Come Home on an Alien Land **

By Jolly

_Episode 31 _

**Destiny: Godson to The Old Man **

**_"This _**is a great place!" Banz announced as he helped himself to his third large cup of Starbucks ice coffee as he enjoyed the comfort of the large velvety couch provided by the cafe. "Great food, great clothes, and great – what did you say this thing was again? Oh yes, coffee! I am getting addicted…"

Joe shook his head and smiled at Banz's childish enjoyment of all things 'Earthly', especially the food.

"And you guys have to bring me to that pizza place Joe was telling me about in your hometown. I really have to have a taste of that pizza before we leave this place…" Banz added as he took another big bite of the triple chocolate mud muffin.

It was good to be back on Earth, Joe thought as he took a sip of his iced coffee. He missed his T-shirts and jeans, his junk food and his friends. Too bad they couldn't contact their old gang – but technically speaking, they were 'dead', and the dead don't walk.

Frank was at the moment happily hacking the network using his super advanced mobile AI unit to connect to the wireless internet provided by Starbucks. Joe just hoped that he was not going to get into trouble with the Council for helping Frank sneak that item into this world.

_You really shouldn't be reading other's emails,_ Joe telepathically admonished his brother in a mockingly annoyed tone. _Whatever happened to the right to privacy?_

_Nothing is private on the internet, bro. And I am finding out about our friends and how they were doing_, Frank sent back dismissively as he continued to search for information on their friends. _I need to know they're okay… _he added a little later.

Joe understood. Frank needed to know, in particular, that Callie's okay.

He returned his attention to the window and watched the vehicles' turning into the lane the café was located. He and Banz could keep watch while Frank deals with his past. He leaned back into the very comfy Starbucks couch as he contemplates the multiple reasons for the three of them being here on Earth at the moment.

One of which would be killing Frank.

That itself would be a hard task, as his godfather demonstrated in the most spectacular fashion. He could still feel that moment of terror… He turned his focus to that last bit of conversation with his godfather just before the critical mission briefing that led them back to Earth to the point just over six months after Frank was retrieved.

---- Flashback -----

Banz was originally relieved at his godfather's announcement that the Legion would automatically disengage from the host when the host dies.

"So we flat-line Frank, wait for the Legion to disengage, then bring Frank back. Then we figure out a way to contain or destroy that thing…" his voice faded off as he saw both Joe and The Old Man were shaking their head.

"I tried that already back three years ago, Banz. Flat-lining doesn't work," he told Banz in a flat tone.

"Did you ever remember Frank sustaining any serious injury since getting here?" his godfather asked most casually.

He should have suspected when his godfather sounded so casual, because the very next moment, something was holding him back and he watched, eyes wide with horror, as his godfather plunged a sharp blade into Frank's stomach and his brother doubled over in pain.

Both he and Banz had rushed over to Frank's side the moment they were able. He ripped the shirt off his brother only to see that the blade was gone, and the wound rapidly healing, a dark energy swiftly knitting the wound together. He glanced up into Frank's eyes, the blackness of his irises the only hint he had to the deadly blow from Frank. He managed to pull Banz off just on time, his other hand coming up to shield them both from the stormy blast. Then he could hear his godfather's urgent instructions which he followed instinctively, combining his healing energies with his godfather's to drive back the hungry darkness. A moment later, he was holding his brother's shivering form in his arms and shooting his godfather a psychic withering glare.

_It is necessary_, his godfather sent across.

_You could have just told me what to expect_, Joe shot back.

_Telling is not the same as witnessing and feeling. Your hesitance to hurt Frank would put Frank's and Banz's life on the line, and you now know it. _

The immediate danger passed and the Legion temporarily contained once again behind the remaining protection glyphs, he began to examine Frank carefully. The wound was healed, no not really healed. The gash was closed but it was red and sore, and he could see from Frank's eyes that the wound hurts. He soothed away the pain and slowly cleansed and re-stitched that wound. Something else bothered him still. It was then he noted the dark specks on his brother's soul. He went closer to those specks and realized the Legion had left its mark and scarred the soul. He cleansed that a little, but the soul unlike the physically body was harder to heal and to cleanse. It would take a while for the soul to rejuvenate itself.

"You do see the problem?" His godfather said the moment he finished with Frank. "The Legion guards and fights for its host's life most desperately if not carefully. To kill the host, one has to damage the host at the faster rate than the Legion could repair it. Note that I said repair, not heal. So the longer one hesitates, the more the host suffers. Hesitate too long, you get a walking dead. And each time the Legion made such a bid for the host's body, it takes with it a bit of the host's soul."

Joe was quiet for a moment as he took in his godfather's words.

"I understand," he finally said as he tightened his grip reassuringly on his brother's arm. "That still leaves a number of other issues; how to send that legion of souls to rest, and what about Frank. You've always said that only Lady Destiny had the power to create and gift life. Unless you are now telling me that there are exceptions to that rule?"

"You were wondering about the similarities between some of your Earth's movies and novels, and the events of this alien world," his godfather said.

Joe nodded and wondered at the nature of that statement.

"Other than you and me, only one other bloodline, the Arthaidh, has the right to freely enter and leave Runescape. They were Scholars, avid learners, though when threatened made formidable fighters. It was the sacred duty of the Arthaidh lineage to protect Runescape and its secrets against unwelcomed intruders."

"The power of the Arthaidh bloodline ranked third after the Healer and the Kalosis bloodline. They were the official guardian of The Runes." Banz said. "But they were believed to have died out…"

"The entire bloodline, and the twelve loyal clans that served them, vanished about fifty thousand years back. Jorcan found out what happened to them…" he smiled, for his son did well indeed in returning the descendents of that very important lineage home. Now he could see the full power of three, the Healer, the Warrior, and the Protector. The Healer, who was also known by many other names, had always been chosen by Lady Destiny, one for each generation. The Kalosis First-Borne was usually the Warrior and bodyguard to the Guardian. And the Arthaidh Second-Born served as Advisor and Protector.

Suddenly Banz turned to both brothers and examined them carefully, "they're really of the Arthaidh bloodline?"

"Fifty thousand years ago, our galaxy was caught in a galactic war. During that time, the power the Runes was known but misunderstood by many. They all wanted it, so the Arthaidh Homeworld was constantly under siege. The then Patriarch of the Arthaidh, Noah, under instruction from Lady Destiny, took his entire families and left by utilizing the gateways of Runescape. They landed on Earth just before the time of the Great Flood. There, they saved various species from extinction by taking what they could with them into the Ark, also called Noah's Ark. With Noah Arthaidh, Lady Destiny made a covenant to always look after his line and his people. For their service, Lady Destiny blessed all direct descendents of the Twelve Clans, and most of those had some sort of psychic abilities. Earthlings called those capabilities ESP. Some of them could 'see' the future or events in far out galaxies, and some of those become script writers and novelists. She gifted Noah with 'A Spark of Life', which would allow the resurrection of one life for a direct descendent of the Arthaidh lineage. That 'Spark' was enshrined within Noah's Ark."

Banz could see that both brothers looked rather flabbergasted. The Old Man merely smiled at their expression.

"Back on Earth, it became known later as the Ark of the Covenant. Men fought wars over it for the power it was rumored to contain, but none understood the value of it."

"But it can save Frank's life," Joe breathed.

"Only when wielded by the Second-Borne," his godfather said.

"Unfortunately, we've no idea where that Ark is now and what it looked like. If biblical accounts are to be believed, then the Ark went missing about the time when the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem and destroyed the temple in which the Ark was supposedly kept. Of course there are rumors that the Ark was safely hidden by certain loyal followers in Africa, Ethiopia, Middle East, even as far away as England and Ireland… Ireland…" Frank's voice faded off as he remembered his family genealogy. "Joe, what did you remember of that class project you did back in 10th grade?"

Joe winced; trust Frank to remember those little details. "Not much big bro, but our great, great grandfather from dad's side did hail from the Irish shores. I think I traced back the Hardy name to an old Irish aristocracy, the hAthairne. Still, that doesn't tell us where that Ark is. Or do you already have some idea, father?" he asked his godfather.

"That missing Ark is precisely one of the reasons why the three of you are heading to Earth," his godfather announced. "The Ark teleported itself to another world on the opposite end of your galaxy to Earth, son. There, in the midst of a rare cosmic storm, it created a race of beings that called themselves Autonomous Robotic Organisms – or Autobots, according to that movie back on Earth, Frank. Several decades back, another storm brought the Ark back to Earth, and the warring Autobots factions have tracked their 'All Spark' as they called your Ark, back to Earth. So, your mission is to retrieve that Ark before Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons, could get his hands on it. Then you will help mediate that war, and offer the surviving Autobots a new home, a new Cybertron, here in this galaxy. Your other mission is clearly to send that Legion of souls to rest."

Joe nodded, as did Banz.

_Not another movie_, Frank groaned. Then another thought hits him. "You haven't told us how to do that yet," Frank pointed out. "What happened after the Legion disengages from me?"

"The Legion will seek out a new host. It will be drawn to the most powerful life-force within the vicinity like a moth to a flame."

Frank paled and stared at his brother. "No!" he protested. Banz placed his hand on his Soul Brother's shoulder, telling him everything would turn out fine. The elder Hardy had yet to see the younger operate in real tight situations. He had no doubt the elder would prove equally resourceful given time.

But Joe merely smiled; he could see that Frank would be fine and that was all that mattered to him.

"That is the first of my test, isn't it?" he asked his godfather.

"Yes, to send those thousands of Souls to rest. And when you return, you will take your second test." The Old Man confirmed.

"And that would be to rebuild Cybertron."

"Yes, son, that will be the second task of your Rite to Ascension. And later, you'll have to face the dragons." The Old Man smiled, and then he turned to the other two, "And the two of you will guard and shield him during his most vulnerable moments, as is your birthright and your duty… And son, just remember that just because you have a complex destiny doesn't mean you can't be killed. Be very, very careful…"

----- End Flashback -----

A whack on his head brought him back to the present, and he turned to glare mockingly at his big brother.

"Hey, you're supposed to be on the watch out, not daydreaming," Frank admonished playfully and handed Joe a muffin. "And you should eat something too, who knows if we'd have time to eat after the action starts…"

_And I found out about our old Bayport gang. They're all over the place now, but all of them are doing well. And Cal's getting married in a couple of months; her fiancé looks like a real nice guy. _Joe was glad to note that happy tone in his brother's voice.

Frank rattled on telepathically. _Biff's doing well in his football career; Chet's just completed his diploma in management and is helping out the family business. Tony took over the pizza place. Van's going out with Phil… and oh no… Phil's here in Mission City at this moment… _

Joe sat up and leaned across to read from Frank's AI handset. W_hat's he doing here? _

_Don't look back_, Frank warned. _He's just walking in here. _

_Crap, this is bad…_ Joe watched from the corner of his eye as Phil Cohen bought his coffee and sat down at an empty seat on the opposite corner of the café to them. It looked like he was waiting for someone. A moment later, Vanessa walked in.

_Very bad…_ Joe added.

_Agreed_, Frank replied as the first of the vehicles they were watching out for started to turn into the road the café was located in.


	33. DGTTOM Episode 32

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**And the next bit - sorry about the last chapter. Yeah, my writing gets a little off if I stopped for a while. Its like you know, exercise? Stop for a few weeks and suddenly its hard to even walk a mile. And given my weak grammar, even worse.**

**Yes, the Hardys of the Arthdaidh bloodline - great great many times removed grandpa was Noah Arthdaidh... Fenton was second born, and from there of course Joe. I've done a bit of minor repairs - but here's the gist so you don't have to re-read. I'll go through the whole thing once I finished part 3. The three of them were on Earth waiting for the scene being depicted in this chapter, while waiting, Joe daydreamed and flashed back - when his godfather demo that stabbing scene, which allowed the Legion to surface - which Joe and the Old Man worked together to drive it behind the remaining protection glyphs - and so temporarily contain it again. Since Frank did not really 'die' yet, the Legion is still there. And Joe won't kill his brother until he gets his hand on Noah's Ark and know how to use that thing.**

** This chapter, sadly, is just a test write for the action scene... as is the next... which should be a proper robot fight scene with Desi and Amaterasu.  
**

* * *

**To Come Home on an Alien Land**

By Jolly

_Episode 32_

**Destiny: Godson to The Old Man**

**_Phil_** and Vanessa looked up in shock in the aftermath of the missile explosion to see Frank next to them.

"Frr-ank?" Phil spluttered out in disbelief.

"Down!" Frank hissed as he pushed Phil and Van down and behind him, his eyes on the battle occurring on the roads just outside of the café.

He could see an Autobot flinging a Decepticon off itself. To his consternation, that huge lump of metal was headed their way. He lifted both his arms and swiftly generated a stormshield around most of the patrons within the Café. He could only hope that his shield could hold out against that mass of metal currently hurling towards them at top speed.

**_Captain_** William Lennox slowly lifted his head up, surprised that he and his men were unharmed by the missile blast. Around them the dust from the aftermath of the explosion swirled wildly. Screams could be heard coming from all directions. Chaos reigned on the streets.

An F-22 fighter jet screamed pass, and transformed right before his eyes into a giant robot and landed right before Sam Witwicky who was holding on to the Cube.

"That's Starscream!" An Autobot yelled in its metallic voice. "Run, Sam! We'll shield you!"

"Dammit!" Lennox cursed as he armed his anti-aircraft artillery and took aim at one of the enemy bots. His eyes widened as he caught sight of another missile heading straight for him.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" He screamed out in anger, knowing that his life was measured now in micro-seconds. A red headed young man appeared before him, and he watched, stunned as a huge ball of fire appeared in the lad's hands and the missile vaporized into nothingness before it could hit its target. There wasn't even an explosion…

Captain Lennox blinked. All this was getting too much for him. He considered himself a flexible and adaptable person. But handling living robots followed by fireball flinging boys were pushing his adaptability to its limit. Next he knew the lad flung another fireball in between two battling robots breaking up the fight. The fireball disappeared before it could hit any building or anyone.

At least this one understood damage control, Lennox thought in approval. Turning around, he saw his men were still stunned by what they saw.

A Buffalo H Mine-protected Vehicle (Bonecrusher) screeched through the debris littered road and headed straight towards them. Without even losing any speed, it transformed into another Decepticon and started shooting at them.

The red headed lad lifted his arm and a wall of fire appeared between those bullets and his men, vaporizing all the incoming artillery. Another fireball forced Bonecrusher to take to the air. The lad continued to keep it occupied by sending several more fireballs after it, all the while running and dodging the artillery the Decepticon sent his way. Did that lad just made that 10 feet jump? None of the fireballs caused any collateral damage unless it hit the Decepticon.

"Move, Dammit!" Lennox yelled at his men, glad that he was the first to act. He's the captain afterall. "Get off your fat asses and find yourself some shelter!"

He heaved a sigh of relief as his men started to move efficiently and professionally. When he next turned around, the lad was gone. He sighed and started yelling orders for his men to give him a damage report and established a defensive perimeter for the surviving civilians near them as they moved swiftly towards Starbucks Café which for some strange reason looked most intact on that street.

**_Joe_** Hardy was kept busy deflecting chunks of flying debris away from the civilians as he leapt and dodged to avoid getting hit himself. He kept an eye on Sam, who was on the run with the Cube, guarded by Ratchet and Jazz, heading towards the old art museum as instructed by Captain Lennox for immediate evacuation from Mission City.

All around them were screams of fear and terror and the Autobots fought the Decepticons. Missiles and other artillery flew through the air in all directions. There were numerous explosions as the missiles hit buildings and cars.

Suddenly, a huge body of metal crashed into Ratchet and knocked him into a tall building at the crossroad. Cars screeched to a stop, crashing into and piling atop each other. Joe winced; there was nothing he could do for those drivers and car passengers. A huge chunk of building broke off from Ratchet's impact and started to fall down onto the cars stuck at the crossroad. Joe could see the look of terror in the eyes of those civilians. He acted. Several fireballs turned that huge chunk of falling cement into pure dust that rained down fairly harmlessly onto the cars. Those caught in the dust-fall might have to get treatment for possible lung problems later, but at least they lived.

He returned his attention to the battle before him, his eyes searching out for Megatron.

"So you want a piece of me, huh?!" Jazz taunted Megatron bravely. "You want a piece of me…"

Joe lifted his eyes to see Megatron perched atop a tower, poor little Jazz held in his huge metallic hands.

"I want two pieces of you!" Megatron roared as he proceeded to tear Jazz into two.

Joe acted instinctively and instantly, drawing back his arm and throwing an electrical wave into Megatron, disrupting the Decepticon's internal circuitry for several seconds, and forcing him to let go of Jazz, who started to fall towards the ground. Megatron roared his fury and scanned his surroundings for the perpetrator.

Joe leapt towards Sam, pulling him out of the direct path of the falling Autobot. They rolled to safety several dozen feet away from where Jazz crash-landed. Joe threw up a hastily constructed energy shield to protect them both from flying shards of cement. A shadow loomed over them both, and Joe looked up to see Megatron reaching down for both of them and the Cube.

**_Back _**in the Café, Frank watched with grim satisfaction as the Decepticon hits his stormshield and was reflected back out onto the streets and transformed into a Police Car.

"Barricade," Frank muttered under his breath as that car started to head back towards him.

He was preparing to send several of his storm spheres towards Barricade when a hail of bullets beat him to it. He turned his head to see a number of military personnel headed towards him and his fellow civilians in the Café.

"Everybody, get behind the counter and stay there!" One voice hollered authoritively. "Fire! Fire! Just keep firing!"

Captain William Lennox, Frank recognized the face.

One of the other military men aimed a bazooka at Barricade and fired, hitting the Decepticon squarely in the chest and it went down. A round of cheers went up among the men. Frank shook his head. It wasn't over yet. Barricade moved and the cheers died off. It was clear Barricade was getting really pissed.

"Don't those things stay down?!" another of the army men swore, anger and despair laced his voice.

The men continued to fire at the charging Decepticon with their normal rifles, having totally exhausted their heavy artillery. Barricade easily deflected those flimsy bullets with his hardened alloy arms before returning his own fire. The men dove for cover behind pillars and walls. Frank moved forward, generating a number of storm spheres and sending them straight into Barricade. This time, Barricade went down and stayed down.

Next he knew Captain Lennox was onto him.

"What the heck are you?!" That man demanded, and then added in a grudgingly grateful tone. "Thanks for saving our hide…"

"Frank…" Frank could hear Phil calling out to him, but he ignored it. He still had to get to his brothers.

"Keep the civilians safe, Captain," Frank said, and then left before anyone could react. He raced towards the crossroads where Megatron was fighting Optimus Prime.

He had to go because Joe was calling for him and Banz for assistance. He could sense Phil and Van trying to follow behind him, but were held back by Captain Lennox and his men.

**_Optimus_** Prime came in from the side and knocked Megatron away just before the Decepticon leader could touch the Cube.

"It's between you and me now, Megatron," Optimus Prime said. "Only one of us will stand by the end of today."

"It will be me, Prime," Megatron promised as he grabbed Prime and flung him into another building.

Joe reached out with his hand to pull Sam up, keeping his hand on the boy's arm. He watched the boy hold the Cube, aka his Ark, protectively before him. He smiled.

"You'll be fine, Sam," he said to the boy in a reassuring tone. The poor boy clearly did not believe him.

Behind him, the two leaders of the Autobots and the Decepticons fought on. He could see Frank and Banz running towards him as he turned around to witness that battle between the two leaders. Following closely on his brothers' heels were the rest of the still battling robots, just as he requested.

_Good work, bros,_ Joe sent to Frank and Banz. _Thanks for luring all of them here._

The moment all the robots were within range, he focused and sent out a powerful shockwave, temporarily stunning all of the autobots into paralysis. It would not last long, Joe knew, but it should be long enough for him to make his point.

"That's enough fighting," he told the Autobots, who were all glaring at him, rather shocked by what they just witnessed. "You will now stop fighting over this Cube."

"The _All Spark_ is mine!" Megatron roared.

Optimus Prime merely looked at him, curiosity clear in his eyes. "Who are you?" he asked.

"This Noah's Ark is mine," Joe said simply. "And I am here to reclaim it."

He held out his arm for the Cube. Sam stared back at him distrustfully, hugging the cube even tighter, and turning to Prime for approval.

"If the All Spark belongs to you, prove it," Prime said.

Joe smiled and returned his focus to the Cube in Sam's arms. He read the runes engraved on the surface of the cube before stretching out his arm with his palms facing upwards. The cube shrank even further in Sam's arm, and then slowly floated towards Joe, landing lightly on his open palm. He closed his hand over the now miniscule cube. When he opened his palm again, even that cube was gone, leaving only a tattoo to mark its existence.

Then he turned to Prime and Sam, saying, "I thank you for safeguarding it for my family all these time."

"No!" Megatron shouted. "The All Spark is mine. With it I will rule the universe."

Joe ignored Megatron but instead focus on Prime.

"It seems that the All Spark answers your call. But I would like you to know that without it, I cannot return life back to my world." Prime said.

"The All Spark is not what you think it is. I can help you re-build Cybertron in a new world, if you would allow me. The only condition is that your race ends this fruitless war that you've been fighting."

"Never," Megatron spat out. "We're the dominant life-form out here and it's our right to rule the universe!"

Then the paralysis wore off, and all the autobots began to move.

"Decepticons transformed!" Megatron ordered, his metallic fingers pointed at Joe. "Kill them all and get me that boy!"


	34. DGTTOM Episode 33

And the next bit. I can only confess this chapter and the last chapter was written to practice my action scene for the big fight much much later. I think this is an improvement from the space fight scene from the first story. I can only hope it gets better later. This chapter also give a bit of background re- the 8 Guardians

* * *

**To Come Home on an Alien Land**

By Jolly

_Episode 33_

**Destiny: Godson to The Old Man**

**_The _**Autobots reacted instantly, surging forward to shield the four humans from the advancing Decepticons. Jazz took on Ravage while the badly damaged Bumble-bee took on smaller sized Scorponok. Inronhide being one of the larger sized Autobots blocked an incoming attack from Devastator (the tank), and Ratchet took on Blackout (Helicopter) with a flying tackle.

_That left Starscream, Bonecrusher, and Megatron_, Optimus Prime thought in despair as he moved to shield the four humans from the remaining advancing Decepticons. His electronic brains were working overtime computing incoming attacking trajectories and desperately working out a way to deflect them all.

"Run!" He screamed at the four humans, who stood seemingly frozen where they were.

Prime knew there was no way he could guard them against all three Decepticons. He took an incoming hit from Bonecrusher, and was preparing to reach over to block Megatron's attempt to get the golden headed young man when something suddenly appeared before him. It blocked Megatron's arm, twisted it behind the Decepticon leader's back, and then shove Megatron away from the humans and into a nearby building. If that was an autobot - it must be a new type. Suddenly he recalled the young man saying he would help rebuild Cybertron and he felt for the first time in many centuries, a tiny tendril of hope for all of his kind.

Prime shook Bonecrusher off his shoulders before turning to face Starscream, only to see it being brought down by another greenish colored robot.

Megatron picked himself up from the pile of broken pillars and cement blacks, shook the dust from its metallic body, turned to the new robot and demanded, "What are you?"

"I am Guardian," Desi responded. "As is my comrade here."

Prime noted that both Guardians had placed themselves protectively in front of the four humans. Around them the other autobots and decepticons battled.

"You're both autonomous robotic organisms like us," Bonecrusher commented.

"Not really," Desi shook her head and chuckled, while Amateratsu snorted.

Frank raised his eyes to Desi, curiosity clear on his face. _What are Guardians?_ He wondered. It was clear to him that both Joe and Banz knew. _The eight of us are the last of our kind, Frank. _Desi sent back.

"Nevertheless, you're both formidable warriors, why stay with those miserable humans. Join me, you can see that my followers are bigger and stronger than Prime's over there." Megatron extended his offer. "We can rule the universe together."

Desi and Amateratsu both laughed out loud, while the decepticons looked on, mystified. The laughter rang across the battle scene, and slowly, the surrounding fights faded to stillness.

"Oh dear," Frank heard Banz muttered to Joe. "Those metallic hunks had no idea who they were making that offer to…" Joe merely smiled and continued watching as the scene unfolds before them.

"Why would we accept your offer when we were once rulers of all known universes?" Amateratsu countered as he casually flexed his muscles. His metallic form rippled, for the first time suggesting to Frank that the Guardian might be something more than just a bulk of unknown alloy.

None of the autobots missed the significance of that act.

"I would suggest that you listen to my Lord's advice and halt this fruitless war, Megatron," Desi tilted her head at Joe as she addressed the Decepticon Leader.

_My lord?_ Frank turned and eyed his brother, who kept his eyes on the Decepticon Leader, a little smile dancing on his lips.

Megatron glared at the two metallic newcomers through narrowed eyes.

"Why would such powerful beings as you claimed to be served a pathetic human?" Megatron asked. "I choose to call your bluff! Hand me that boy or face my wrath!" Megatron added as he adopted an attacking stance.

Desi sighed as both the Autobots and Decepticons again made ready to fight. But Frank thought he sense a strong hint of excitement underneath that mocking sigh.

_'I haven't had a good work out for a while, Joe. Hope you don't mind me having some fun?'_ Desi asked Joe.

_'Go ahead, Desi,' _Joe replied with a smile. _'Just don't take too long.'_

The moment Joe finished his sentence; Desi vanished from her spot, reappeared right next to Megatron, and gave him a tight slap right across his face. She was gone and in the air even before the Decepticon leader had the time to react.

_No Frank, Desi did not teleport. It's just that her speed's so fast; the naked eye could not catch it._ Joe told his brother. _This is going to be a very one sided fight here._

_'Oooh, I would love being an Earth female, Frank! They have such great advantage in every fight!'_ Desi sent to Frank as she laughed out loud from her position in the sky.

Megatron roared, transformed himself into a flying unit and flew after Desi. He threw a punch at her, but Desi was already gone from that spot. Megatron turned just in time to see Desi coming down on him from behind and a well-placed kick sent him into yet another skyscraper. _There won't be much of Mission City left when the fight is over_, Desi acknowledged quietly._There already isn't much of Mission City left, _Joe responded wryly.

Below, the battle began in earnest again. Prime took down Bonecrusher before he could get even a step closer to the humans. Amateratsu deflected a series of missiles from Starscream before taking to the air and executing a perfect landing on the fighter-jet's back. Starscream quickly transformed in mid-air, and the two, having lost the aerodynamic lift, crashed back onto the streets, their metallic arms still locked around each other's neck.

Banz and Joe hastily constructed overlapping energy fields to keep out the dust and flying debris. Frank took a little more time to construct his stormshield, making it perfect and impenetrable. A minute later, an Autobot landed right on top of them, but was repelled by the electrically charged stormshield.

That was Bumblebee who was already badly injured, Frank realized as he heard Sam's cry of anxiety. Before he could react, Joe shoved Sam into his arms and then both his brothers were gone from within the safety of his stormshield.

Banz cast a webbing of some sort to help break Bumblebee's fall while Joe distracted Scorponok's attention from the injured autobot. Scorponok went straight for Joe, knowing that he was the person Megatron wanted. Joe waited until the last possible second before leaping aside to avoid Scorponok's tail pincers. The pincers crashed into the road sending huge fragments of cement into the air in all directions. Joe sidestepped all those flying shards and in two leaps, pulverized all flying fragments into dust with a series of chain-lightning, and then made his way beneath Scorponok's body. There, he generated a powerful electromagnetic pulse and fired it directly into the decepticon's chest. There was a quick flash, and the light went out of Scorponok's eyes. Joe made another flying leap from underneath its belly as the giant metallic scorpion slowly collapsed into a cloud of dust.

Joe landed painfully on his shoulders. As always, he was tempted to just take the easy route and simply zapped all Decepticons out of existence. And as always, he reminded himself of what happened to Frank and shoved that desire to his back of his mind. He would not misuse his gifts again. They would either be diplomatic or fight it out square and fair. But knowing Megatron, it'd be a fight.

He headed towards Bumblebee who was staring at that still pile of metal. Between him and Banz, they managed to levitate Bumblebee and moved the injured autobot to where Sam and Frank were waiting. There, Frank enlarged his stormshield to shelter them all.

Sam ran straight into Bumblebee's arms. It was clear the depth of affection between the autobot and the boy. Both eyed Joe cautiously as he approached them, the image of what happened to Scorponok still fresh in their minds.

"I'm a Healer and also a good car mechanic, especially for a cool Camaro like you, Bumblebee!" Joe said to them. He watched the autobot hesitate for a moment before letting him approach. Restoring the voice function and the damage to the weapons system was the easy bit. Then he turned his focus to the left leg that was quite badly mangled by that initial missile explosion. He closed his eyes and focused. Frank and the others watched as the mangled strips of metal started to soften and reshape. Slowly, the mangled leg shifted and morphed until it resembled a limb. When it was over, Bumblebee gave his newly repaired limb a good shaking and smiled.

"Thanks very much!" Bumblebee said to Joe.

"You're welcome." Joe nodded and returned his attention to the ongoing battle. His expression turned serious. "Playtime's over, Desi, Amateratsu!" he called out.

Both Guardians reacted instantly, shaking their opponent loose and heading for the skies. A series of well-placed rotating energy blades broke up the fights of all the combatants, leaving the autobots on one side and the decepticons on the other. Then the two Guardians landed right in between, cleaning separating the two groups of age-old rivals.

**_From_** a reasonably safe distance, Captain Lennox observed the happenings with his binoculars. Something's happening, he knew. He had to get over there somehow and get whatever recording he could of whatever that's being negotiated there. He saw the way those beings fought, and knew what ever information he could gather could be crucial for Earth's survival in the future.

"All the civilians were out of the immediate danger zone and heading out of the city towards the next nearest city – Las Vegas, 22 miles away." His lieutenant reported.

"Good!" Captain Lennox intoned as he started to rig up a recording system and prepared to leave. "See that everyone gets out safe, lieutenant."

"You're not coming with us?" his lieutenant asked.

"No, there're still things that have to be done. Now go! I've to make sure the Cube is in safe hands." Lennox said.

He stood and watched until his lieutenant disappeared round the corner before turning and heading towards the battleground. Suddenly, he heard some noise from the side. He turned. A young woman with ash blonde hair and another dark haired young man was there perched atop a fallen pillar eyeing the scene before them avidly.

He ran over and was preparing to pull those two crazy civilians to safety when he overhead what the female was saying.

"God, those two are really Frank and Joe!" The female gasped. "Joe lives…"

"Wait a minute, you know those people in there?" Captain Lennox queried.

The couple before him stared at him for a moment before nodding.

"Two of them," Phil clarified.

"Which two?" Lennox asked.

"The blond haired one and the dark haired one... We don't know the other two." Vanessa said as she returned her attention to the scene before her. Where was he in the last four years? Why didn't he contact her? Did she mean so little to Joe that he just ignored her? Its over, Vanessa told herself fiercely. She's with Phil now, and Phil had been very nice to her. All she wanted was closure…

"I only want to know one thing – are they the good guys?" Lennox asked again.

Phil Cohen exchanged a look with Van before replying, "They were supposed to be dead. But if they are who we believe they are, then yeah, you bet they are the good guys."

Then all three were watching in horror as Megatron suddenly lifted up his weapon arm and fired at the four unarmed humans on the ground.

And Vanessa's scream of denial could be heard echoing hollowly off the walls of the fallen buildings of Mission City.

* * *


	35. DGTTOM Episode 34

And the next bit!  
Bhar: sorry - was just mumbling to myself what to write next. Trying to finish story three before going back to Candyman and Storm.

* * *

**To Come Home on an Alien Land**

By Jolly

_Episode 34_

**Destiny: Godson to The Old Man**

**_This _**was not going to work out, Joe realized. Megatron's just too power hungry and too selfish to allow any peaceful resolution.

"Give it up Megatron. The All Spark is clearly not ours, and you know that without it Cybertron cannot be revived. A dying race cannot rule, brother." Prime said reasonably. "It's over."

Prime was still trying to reason, and Joe could understand why. There were so few autobots left, and with no absolute certainty that Cybertron could be revived, Prime wanted to keep as many of his kind alive as possible, even the enemy. He understood what it meant to be truly alone – the last of your kind type alone.

"Never!" Megatron snapped back. "We're meant to rule and this universe is mine! **_He_** will be mine."

Joe felt sadness permeating his soul again over his next move. But he had no choice; he's running out of time. And he valued Frank's life above all others. He stepped away from the others and walked casually towards the Decepticon Leader.

"…and if I can't have him, I'll rather see him dead than belong to someone else!" Megatron announced throwing a baleful glare at Desi and Amateratsu, and then without warning, lifted his arm and fired a shot directly at Joe.

Prime was surprised that neither Guardians reacted, only to find out when the dust settled that the four humans were untouched by the blast.

Frank smiled grimly. He's getting more and more comfortable with his stormshield, and more confident of his abilities to protect his brother.

It was then everyone realized they heard a high pitched scream. All attention turned towards the three humans partially hidden behind a fallen pillar not too far away.

"Get them!" Megatron ordered Blackout and Devastator, who immediately headed towards the three.

Joe immediately teleported himself across and placed himself in front of the other three. With two powerful bursts of electromagnetic pulse, he sent the two decepticons flying back towards their leader. He could feel Van's eyes on him, but forced himself to ignore that. Another sweep of his arm, he had all four of them back under Frank's shield. Knowing that Frank would check and make sure all three of them was fine, he returned his attention to autobots.

He chose to address them in their own language and the others watched on, wondering what was being said. As his words faded off, there was a moment of quiet as the autobots considered his words.

Frank kept a watchful eye on his younger brother as Prime said something to Joe. His brother responded in a reassuring tone. Finally, Prime gave a firm nod, and then he and his fellow autobots took off for the skies.

Joe smiled inwardly as he caught Megatron's satisfied expression as Prime and the others flew away. He had fought enemies far more devious, and far more powerful than him. When the decepticon leader reached out for him he was more than ready, nimbly leaping out of the leader's reach. With his right hand, he summoned Noah's Ark.

"The All Spark!" Megatron roared. "Give it to me!"

"Noah's Ark created life, it can also take it away. Be careful what you asked for, Megatron," Joe warned.

But the leader ignored him and reached for the Cube. And Joe watched a deep sadness in his eyes. The Ark had been returned to its rightful owner, it no longer accept a stranger's touch. The Ark was a product of Runescape, and like Runescape, it protected itself by all means necessary.

The instant Megatron touched the Ark, a light flared. High in the skies above, an electrical storm raged. The wind grew and howled sweeping a multitude of dust into the air and blinding all vision. The Ark giveth life, it also taketh away life. Lightning bolts appeared from the skies and systematically worked to dissemble the life that was created so long ago by the same method. One by one, the remaining decepticons were struck and they collapsed onto the ground. If one strains one's hearing, Megatron's final scream of denial could be heard just barely above the howling wind.

Soon, it was all over. The clouds parted, and sunlight broke through. The dust settled, and everyone could see again. The world around them was littered with huge chunks of broken buildings and twisted piles of metal that was once alive.

"Are they all dead?" Captain Lennox finally asked.

"They're deactivated," Joe replied cryptically.

_Starscream, that coward, chose to fly away just before Megatron touched the Ark. He got away. _Joe sent to Banz and Frank. _I think we'll be meeting him again sometime in the near future,_ he added.

_Where are the rest of the Autobots?_ Frank asked.

_Prime is gathering them and we'll be meeting all of them at Cybertron later._ Joe answered.

_And Desi and Amateratsu?_ Frank asked again.

_They're fine, and are currently enjoying a tour of this galaxy_, Banz answered_. They'll be here when we call for them._

"Joe?"

Joe turned around at the sound of that familiar feminine voice, and saw Vanessa staring at him with tears in her eyes. A moment later, she threw herself into his arms, sobbing, "It's you, and it's really you. Oh my god, it's really you…"

Joe let her hold on to him for a while before gently but firmly disengaging her from him, and then returned her to Phil's side.

Phil, who had stood by quietly and with dignity, looked up first at Joe, and then at Frank. Then he took in the disaster that felled Mission City. Finally, he returned his gaze to the brothers, tilted his head towards those damaged buildings, and asked as if such occurrences were the most natural thing to expect with the Hardy brothers around.

"Care to explain what just happened?"

**_Ceri _**woke up with a start as she felt a spike of pain streaked across her chest. Just like before, the pain faded away as quickly as it came. Again she scanned her body and could not detect anything wrong with herself.

She rushed to the window – the electric storm was still raging. That meant that communications would still be down. She could feel panic rising. She needed to know that Frank's alright. It took her a while to temper down that wild desire to just rush over to Reiko's room for reassurance.

She put on a robe and moved to the window. Her fears and worries would keep her up tonight, anyway, so she might as well enjoy the storm. And as she watched the electrical sparks arced across the skies, she could not help but to worry.

* * *


	36. DGTTOM Episode 35

And the next bit!  
Thanks Tyc and Bhar! So sorry about the last two chapters - but stupid Transformers refused to get out of my head. I still think transformers more appropriate than Cybermen... Hope you like this chapter better - will try to get next chapter up soon.

PK- thanks for note - you're right, Episode 33 and 34 would prolly end up one chapter in my rewrite. Yeah, I did wonder f I was being a little overly ambitious with this one, since it start as an experiment, it 'failed' and I only spent 10 days to think it over and then decide to make it a 5 part epic. Yeah, it could be better , but every story could always be better - lol. Pls understand, every other story posted had been gathering in my dusty closet for years. Well - except Liz's Partheois, and even that one I spliced with an existing story of mine. Yeah, story 4 is galactic-political-mystery - if I can get it right. But let me finish story 3 first, huh?

* * *

**To Come Home on an Alien Land**

By Jolly

_Episode 35_

**Destiny: Godson to The Old Man**

**_The _**whiteness stretched for miles in all directions. Icy cold winds skirted the face of the cliffs and raced across the isolated plains. It came to a halt at a spot where three young men stood facing each other and glaring at each other, oblivious to the biting cold.

"I will not under any circumstances agree to you taking that risk, Banz," Frank asserted.

"I agree with Frank; I will not sacrifice the life of one brother for another," Joe said.

"You want Frank to live; that's what you have to do, Joe. You know that!" Banz said. "And I disagree with you. I am taking a risk for my brother's life. I am in no way sacrificing myself for him."

"Joe, we're almost out of time. You have to let me go, little brother," Frank reminded his brother. "You did promise you won't let me turn..."

Banz cut in before Frank could finish or Joe could respond, "At this point, Frank is dead man walking – agree?" He did not bother to wait for either of his brothers to respond but forged ahead with his point with his eyes on Joe. "Soon the last of the glyphs will fail. We'll have to kill him and the Legion will look for a new host if we cannot disperse it. That new host would be either me or you, Joe. There's no one else out here on the South Pole."

"That's why you should leave, Banz," Joe said. "After Frank's dead, the Legion will come for me. And I'll do what needs to be done. There's no need for you to take that risk."

"Are you telling me that after Frank 'dies', you will fight off the legion, sent those souls to rest, and then bring Frank back to life using the Ark all on your own?" Banz countered. "You know that you'll have less than 5 minutes to bring Frank back – or you risk brain damage. And you know that putting all those thousands of souls to rest will take hours. You need me here, little brother."

"What's the point of trying to save me, just to have you getting possessed in my place, Banz?" Frank asked reasonably.

"Do you really believe that Joe will kill you under any circumstances?" Banz asked Frank.

Frank looked into Banz's eyes and forced himself to confront that question with brutal honestly. He lowered his eyes when he knew the answer to that question. Banz would stay for Joe's protection.

Then, all the arguments and reasoning ceased to matter as the last of the glyphs dissolved and Frank could feel the demons within him rising. He barely had time to shout out a warning to his brothers before his vision was obliterated by a bloody red haze.

**_Meanwhile_**, on board a flight headed for Bayport Airport, Phil Cohen sat on the aisle seat watching his girlfriend of almost two years staring out of the window into the clear blue sky beyond. It wasn't difficult to guess what she might be thinking about.

_Joe. For Van, it's always about Joe_, Phil mused.

He recalled when Joe went missing almost four years back. He remembered Frank's desperate search, and Vanessa's unwillingness to move on for years. But he'd persisted and she finally came around. They started going out together, and she started being happy again. And now Joe's back. Or was he?

Frank on the other hand withdrew into himself after months of fruitless search. Without either of the Hardy brothers to hold the group together, all of them slowly scattered after graduating from Bayport High. The only other time they all gathered together again was during the funeral for the entire family organized by Aunt Gertrude. He still remembered the cloak of sadness on everyone of the gang on that day as they reminisced the old times and acknowledged the tragedy that befell the Hardy household.

And then to see the brothers alive and well in Mission City under the most unexpected circumstances – battling gigantic living robots. Rather than feeling terrified or worried, Phil actually found himself rather intrigued by the entire incident. That was natural, given his propensity towards cutting edge technology and his interest in Artificial Intelligence. Sadly, the damage cause by those NBE (Non Biological Entities, as the bureaucracy called them) were so extensive, the government made the decision to drop all the remains of the decepticons into the Laurentian Abyss, the deepest part of the ocean on Earth. Only governments and secret bureaucracies would do something as stupid as that: kept secret something that threatened not only national but global security, then when the world finds out about it, dump the only thing they could reverse-engineer to defend themselves into a place so hostile, not even their own best technology could retrieve it.

_And only the Hardys can get into that kind of a trouble,_ Phil could not help but mutter under his breath.

Vanessa must have heard him, for she turned to eye him curiously.

"Do you really think Frank and Joe will turn up at our old haunt as they said?" Phil finally asked just to fill in the silence.

The two brothers and their new friend had disappeared soon after promising to meet up at Prito's Pizzaria in a couple of days' time to explain what they could. He winced at the memory of Captain Lennox raging over their disappearance. But there was nothing he and Van could say; they could not tell what they do not know. The problem with having the Hardys as friends – they're always keeping secrets. That was why their group of close chums was small and tight. Not many people could stand their close friends keeping that many secrets from them. But Phil, and the rest of the gang, was the few that didn't mind. In part because all of them had their own share of secrets, and they guard each other's right to privacy fiercely.

"Yes," she replied without hesitation, and without looking at him. "If Joe said he will, he will."

Phil sighed. It was clear to him that Van's still not over Joe.

"Phil?"

"Yes Van?"

"Did you remember seeing Joe wearing a ring?" Van asked in a soft voice, her eyes still glued to the sky outside.

Phil stared sympathetically at the back of his girlfriend's head and answered: "Yes. I also saw Frank wearing one."

"Oh," came the response in a small voice.

Phil knew without doubt that Van was crying. He should be jealous, but he was not. He loved her, and would always put her happiness above his own. Furthermore, this Joe was not the same Joe that went missing at seventeen. The same applies to Frank. The sooner Van accepted that, the better for her. And knowing that Joe was no longer available also helps. He was a patient person by nature, and he would wait as long as it takes to win her heart.

**_Terror_** filled Joe's heart as he watched the multiple wounds on Frank's body starting to close. Any single one those stabs should have been fatal, especially the two that went straight through the heart. Both he and Banz made sure of that, and both of them were proficient warriors. _Or killers_, Joe admitted. Warriors, fighters, soldiers… they're all words infused with delusional sense of pride and honor to mask the real hard truth that some would feel difficult to accept.

Yet, the Legion still refused to disengage from Frank, and his brother was still struggling with inhuman strength to break his and Banz's hold.

_Why wasn't the Legion disengaging? What was he missing here? _Joe asked those questions with ever increasing desperation as the minutes trickled away like the sands in the top half of an hour glass.

Frank broke free of his and Banz's hold and Joe had to focus on physically restraining his brother again. He sidestepped a blow, caught his brother's arm in a death-grip, twisted his brother's arm back and together with Banz's help, forced the body back onto the icy ground with the arms trapped beneath the body. He avoided his brother's eyes; he did not want to see the burning hatred from there directed at him. That was not his brother, but it was still his brother's eyes.

_Good thing The Old Man insisted Frank be kept from advanced hand to hand combat classes for the time being_, Banz thought as he barely avoided another side swipe as Frank managed to slip his arm from his hold yet again. Using a little known Kalosian hold, he managed to restrain the elder Hardy again.

"Joe, whatever it is you have to do, you better figure it out fast! Because Frank here has over 5000 brains in there helping him do all the analysis and there're only two of us here…" Banz grunted.

_Trust Banz to come up with something Frankish… Think, Joe, think! You can do it! _Joe psyched himself._ What am I missing? Father said the Legion will fight desperately for the host's life and body… Omph!_

Joe doubled over in pain from a well-placed kick from Frank. Banz swiftly stepped in to block a potentially fatal attack from Frank's clawed hands, and then sent his brother flying into an icy outcrop with a psychic shove. He winced as he watched Frank's back crashed into that rocky ice and then slide down onto the cold hard ground.

"Better him than us at this point in time, Joe!" Banz shot back at him. _Any idea at all yet?! _He added telepathically.

_A paradox… Father said but implied the Legion will only leave a body if it believes the body is damaged beyond repair… but the Ark needs an undamaged and intact body in order to gift a second life…_

Banz could hear the despair skirting the edges of his soul brother's voice. He turned Joe's words over and over in his mind as he eyed Joe working desperately to gently bring Frank down yet again. His mind flashed back to all the incidents that happened in the last three years. The Old Man had said that Joe's prowess at its peak would by far exceed his own. Yet as he watched Joe wriggled his way out of one after another tight spot, he never could sense that level of potential. Perhaps the entire issue was the lack of need and motivation, and here for the first time, he saw what could be that motivation, that impetus to push Joe…

He moved.

A flying tackled forcefully separated the battling brothers. Another back flip sent Frank back onto that icy outcrop for the second time. His mind cleared, he knew all his next moves down to the very last micro-second and millimeter. There would be no room for error on his side, and he had faith Joe would do everything that would be required of him. He finally understood the true purpose of the Rites of Ascension.

He caught Joe's eyes for a fraction of a second and smiled confidently.

"I only do what I am about to do, because I have absolute confidence that you can… we'll all be dependent on you from now…"

With that, Banz generated a level 10 storm sphere and sent it careening into Frank. He remembered all that happened just over two weeks back. He could hear Joe screaming at him in the background, which he ignored. He focused on what was to come. He had to. He could sense Joe running towards Frank – just as he expected. A pre-planned psychic shove sent Joe to the ground far away from himself and Frank. A dark aura started to appear around Frank and collated into a boiling dark mass just above Frank's inert but broken body. He opened up his mind and let his own power flare strong and bright and the darkness came for him, just as he wanted…

* * *


	37. DGTTOM Episode 36

And the next bit!

I can't really say, Bhar. Personally, I think the four chapters on Transformers' just too long... but somehow I just can't seem to get past it, so there are lots of useless words that lead to nowhere, that's why it wasn't as smooth a read - because it was draggy. You might say I hit a writer's block there somewhat trying to get to the last chapter and this chapter...

Thanks Tyc - I hope this chapter's also good So sorry I can't make every chapYter equally good. I can only try.

Please enjoy I'm trying to get story 3 done b4 New Year. Wish me luck.

* * *

**To Come Home on an Alien Land**

By Jolly

_Episode 36_

**Destiny: Godson to The Old Man**

**_Reiko's_** eyes opened.

What was it that awakened her? She wondered.

She felt uneasy. Her eyes searched the darkness and saw nothing out of the ordinary. She frowned. She thought she heard something. She strained her ears. There it was again! Something scratching at her door!

Slowly, she made her way out of her bed and towards her door, her Lightning Samurai held in her right hand behind the small of her back. She did not think any enemy would have made their way to her door without encountering any resistance. The Isogawa Stronghold was a well protected place armed with the best security, magical or scientific, that its vast wealth could buy, and manned by very loyal clan members. Still, it would not hurt to be careful.

"Who's there?" She asked out loud.

The only answer was the slightest of a scratch on her door.

She opened it cautiously, and saw a pale faced Ceri clutching on to the doorframe and staring feverishly back at her.

"Ceri…" Reiko gasped as she reached out for her falling friend.

**_Banz_** smiled grimly as he watched the darkness approached.

_Come on, just a little more, a little more_, he murmured as the micro-seconds flashed past. He could feel his own fear rising, but he forced it back down through sheer will power. He could be wrong. But he knew the legends and myths of his world; he had more knowledge than whatever Joe learnt over the last three years. And soon, he would know if his take on the old folklore and myth were correct. Timing would be everything… From behind his own Kalosian protection glyphs, he waited and held his ground. He could feel those dark tendrils working to find a way into his psyche. But unlike the Frank of three years ago, he was not without his own skills and powers. The Legion's about to find out he's not a defenseless Earthling. He's Firstborn of the Kalosis Warrior-Mages, Warrior Bodyguard to the Destined One.

And at the very last second, when all five thousand souls were within range, an ancient Kalosian Entrapment Spell flared to life.

**_Joe_** halted his attempt to get back to Frank when a sudden bright flare of orange caught his eye. He watched, stunned, as several waves of fire balls swirled outwards from Banz in a circlar motion, tracing a series of ancient symbols on the ground, leaving them glowing bright and burning hot. On the outer circumference of the circle, the fire balls merged to form a wall of cool blue flames that reached up high into the skies, trapping the Legion within its fiery boundary.

The Legion screamed and tried to come for him, but the fiery blue walls held it back. Each time a legion touched the blue flames, a bright orange symbol flared and the legion was driven back into the trap.

And in the center of it all stood Banz; calm and sturdy against the chaos contained about him.

Joe stared at the ancient spell invoked by his soul brother. It was something he heard of being whispered, but this was the first time he ever saw it in use. Yes, he could feel the power. He could also feel the cost. No wonder the spell was so powerful – it feeds on the life-force of the caster. The power was also magnified by the caster's willingness for self-sacrifice.

_How could you, Banz!_ Joe raged. Nevertheless, he forced his attention back to Frank. Banz had known when it comes to the crunch, he would always choose Frank. So his soul brother had done the only thing he knew that would free him to focus his full attention on Frank.

But he would get Banz back. He'll have to, or neither he nor Frank would be able to live on in peace.

His big brother lay there so still on the frozen ground. Frank's face was peaceful, but Joe could see from the unnatural angles of various limbs and the flatness of certain parts of the body, the extent of damage to his brother's body. It was what happened to him two weeks back, just a lot worse since unlike him, Frank was totally unshielded. The storm sphere that Banz used had ensured the internal injuries' total. That's why the Legion left – it could not repair such total damage.

The task before him was monumental. He would have to accomplish in minutes what took his godfather hours with the assistance of one of the most powerful wizard in their galaxy.

_Oh Banz! What make you think I could do that?_

He gritted his teeth. He had to try now. Or all that Banz did would be for nothing. He reached for his power, turned himself into pure energy, and sent himself coursing through Frank's body, fixing the injuries as he go. He started from the most important parts; the brain, then the heart.

_Oh God, more than a minute had passed and I barely finished the heart. I'm not going to make it!_

He could feel tears sliding down his cheek in his physical body even as his spirit raced to heal the last bit of the valves. From there he spread out through the main capillaries and blood vessels, mending them so he could start the heart beating again. Then he'll have to get the lungs working so that the blood could pump the needed oxygen back to the brains.

Another minute ticked by.

_I can't! I can't!_ Joe cried out even as he forced himself to search out unknown source of energy from within him. But he knew he was tiring fast. It won't be long before sheer exhaustion sets in. He knew he could not do this, which was why he stuck to simple piercing wounds in his initial attempts to kill Frank. Because he knew he could heal those quickly and cleanly.

But not this, not this…

Tired, so tired. He was burning out fast now, and he had yet to start on the lungs.

_So sorry Frank, Banz… I can't…_

Black sports appeared before his eyes, and he fought to hang on to consciousness. As long as he was conscious, there was hope.

_No matter how dark, if one looks hard enough, there will always be light…_

He stilled. Who was that?

_You can do it, Joe…_

Jorcan?

_Just stop hiding. Embrace your destiny_

What did Jorcan mean? He was taking on his destiny – he started his Rite of Ascension, didn't he?

_Become what you're meant to become…_

Joe's eyes widened.

_Why do you fear the power you can wield?_

Yes, why? Once he touched the power that he was not meant to wield and Frank paid the price…

_Is that the only reason?_

And having power changed people. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely… he dared not risk what HE could become with that kind of a power in his hands. Frank and the Legion could have destroyed Earth. But he – he could bring down entire galaxies. He shoved all those power he was starting to sense away, buried it deep within his psyche. Buried it so deep not even Banz could sense it. Still, he hears whispers nightly, tempting him, enticing him_... you could change the world for the better_, it crooned to him. _You could create utopia…_

_Have faith in yourself, like what your brothers have in you. And have faith in them; that they'll always be there for you…_

Joe stared down at Frank's pale face. Was he abusing his powers by bringing Frank back a second time? Would this use of power be his first step towards corruption? Would he eventually become the death of Frank and all he holds dear?

His hands trembled.

_Choice, Joe, choice…_

His brothers would give up their lives for him. So he would for them. He had no choice…

_You always have a choice, Joe…_

Yes, he could save them or he could let them go. That wasn't exactly a choice to him. But Jorcan was right, he had chosen… Even if his brothers hated him, he would have still made the same choice. He loved them, and that was what mattered. His intention was pure. And they love him too…

He let the power in him rise to the fore. He had to have faith it would not change him. The light within flare out bright and pure; he channeled it towards Frank. The lungs started to heal and he started it breathing. He sent the blood flowing, bringing the half-starved body the much needed oxygen. Then he pieced back all the bones that had been shattered by the impact. All those took mere seconds... to hold that kind of a power is exhilarating - Joe ruthlessly shoved that feeling away.

The rest of Frank's injuries could wait.

He summoned the Ark with his right hand and opened it, following the instructions engraved to the sides. The 'Spark of life' danced and flickered on its little pedestal. He caught it with his fingers and brought it towards Frank.

Nothing happened.

Joe felt a twinge of fear growing. What's wrong now?

He looked down at his brother again. Frank's body's intact.

It's living but not alive, Joe realized. The soul's missing. The purpose of the Spark was to 'glue' the soul back to the body.

But where's Frank's soul?

He turned towards Banz's entrapment spell. There, Frank's soul's in there with the others.

Then Joe knew why he could not separate the Legion from Frank. The 'exorcism spells' would never work for Frank, because his brother was not possessed by the Legion. His brother was part of the Legion. Because Frank's soul was one of those he prevented from moving on, just like the thousands of lives he unwittingly ripped from the cult members. But unlike those, Frank had his own body back, and the glyphs and spells from Jorcan had ensured Frank's soul was kept separate from the others. It allowed his brother to function independently for the last three years…

Now, stood before the thousands of souls, knowing its time he paid for his sins.

First, he had to find Frank.

He reached out with his mind, and plunged through the fiery wall and straight into the roiling mass of furious spirited energies that was the Legion. He pushed past that, and entered the place where the souls resided deep inside the vengeful entity.

He appeared in a strange place. It was all grey. Different shades of grey, but still grey. Everything here was so lifeless, so dull, so cold, so, so… painfully… lonely. Here is the mid-world between life and death. In here, the Legion ceased to exist as an entity, and each souls is separate and on its own.

There were so many of them roaming aimlessly, yet they saw each other not. They were all alone in a crowd. They were many, yet they were one. All the lost souls, some lost, some scared, but mostly desperate and terrified roamed in endless circle, always searching but never finding.

He would not leave his brother in this limbo of an existence. Heck, he would not leave anyone in this limbo!

He started to search for Frank.

He was the only light there, his aura glowed strong and bright. All the souls tried to claw him in; they wanted to be what they no longer were. Then they shielded away from him; they could not stand being near what they no longer were not.

They were confused, Joe realized.

Then something caught the corner of his eye. _That's Frank!_ He rushed towards his brother, only to find that wisp of a spirit shielding away from him. He slowed his approach to avoid scaring his brother.

"Frank? It's me, Joe," he called out softly.

That wisp of a soul did not respond but looked back at him blankly.

_He did not recognize me_, Joe realized with a sinking heart.

So he reached out with his hand, thinking to lead his brother back to the land of the living with him. His hand went right through his brother's translucent soul.

"Here big bro, take my hand," Joe coaxed gently. "I'm taking you home…"

And he waited his heart pounding. It just occurred to him that it would be Frank's choice whether or not to take his hand… For all his power, coming back would be Frank's choice...

* * *


	38. DGTTOM Episode 37

And the next bit!

Sorry - I meant to put this up just a bit earlier - but was busy trying to get my son's blog up and running Its also my son's first birthday today, so I'll be taking 24 hours off this story. Still I hope you'll still enjoy this chapter as much as the previous. And yes, I'm also a transformers fan.

Tyc, Skye: yeah, I thought no matter how powerful, there must be limits - and I think free will's a good place to start

Bhar: This is story 3 of five - still two more to go

* * *

**To Come Home on an Alien Land**

By Jolly

_Episode 37_

**Destiny: Godson to The Old Man**

**_The _**Old Man sensed a shift in the universe. He smiled. The young one had taken his first real step towards his destiny…

His poor, poor godson… his son was right to fear the magnitude of his power. The more powerful one was, the harder one would be tested. Lady Destiny always made sure Her Chosen would be worthy of any power She gifted.

But his godson was also… different.

The Old Man shrugged. The wheel of destiny had started turning, and he could now only watched the outcome. Would he be there to witness it? Or would that be beyond his time? Only time will tell.

He returned to his reading.

**_He _**was alone in a cold dark place. It was terrifying. He knew not why or what it was scaring him. But fear permeated his very being. Perhaps it was because he felt totally alone and totally disconnected to everything else.

He tried to reach out with his senses; but he saw nothing but blackness, felt nothing but stillness, smell nothing but airlessness, heard nothing but silence, taste nothing but blandness.

Where was he? He didn't know.

Who was he? He didn't know either.

He was no one in nowhere. He panicked.

He moved but knew not where he was going, because he could not see. But there were things out there, he knew. There were terrifying, unforgiving things… he knew because every time he touched something, he could feel burning pain and heart-stopping terror radiating through him from that touch. He drew back and whimpered in fear and agony.

He learnt quickly to sense when things were near him so he could avoid them. He had no choice: the agony and terror were just too great.

Then he learned to reach out to touch them for the briefest second, just enough for him to feel… but not enough for the terror and pain to totally overwhelm him. For the alternative of total isolation and lack of feeling was equally agonizing. And every once in a while, the need to feel overtook him, and if the only other sensation he was allowed to feel was pain…

He would not last in this hellish place for long, he knew without doubt. The constant swinging between the two options of horror opened to him would drive him crazy. The mental agony of loneliness and nothingness versus the physical agony of pain and terror – no man could survive that for long…

Suddenly he sensed something coming at him. He moved away in terror – he was not prepared for that level of physical agony! He backed away desperately, praying hard that he would not bump into anything else.

What did it mean to pray?

The approaching object slowed and so did he. It stopped and so did he. As much as he feared that object, that object also offered him a third alternative: curiosity. And curiosity was greatly preferred to the other two options.

Then something moved through him leaving behind a trail of burning pain. It hurts so much he could not even find the strength to scream. He shrank away from that touch and curled into a protective ball.

_No, no, no,_ he whimpered and the tears he could neither see nor feel rolled down his cheeks. The third option was a lie; it drew him in with curiosity only to hurt him even harder than before.

He could hear something.

"Frank…"

It sounded so soothing; he wanted to go towards that. But the recent experience held him back. It was another trick, he was certain.

"It's me, Joe…"

_Joe? What's a Joe? No, do not listen! Remember the pain…_

"Big bro…"

_It was a voice! A very familiar voice!_

"Take my hand…"

He started to reach out for it. Then he quickly withdrew_. It could be a trick. It must be a trick!_

"I'm taking you home…"

_Home!_ He always wanted to go home. He could not remember what a home was. But he knew; a home was somewhere nice. It was somewhere safe and happy and painless. Yes, he wanted to go home.

"Please, Frank, come back with me…"

_Yet, dare I trust that voice?_ He asked that question over and over even as he kept his sensed locked on that 'hand' in front of him.

"I won't hurt you…"

The memory of the hand cutting through him leaving behind a burning trail of pain surfaced. He shrank away from that 'hand'. _But you did! You did!_

"Please, big brother…"

What big brother?

"I can't go on without you, Frank… Remember all the cases we solve together…. We're more than brothers, we're a team, remember?"

Was he Frank? The life that was being described to him sounded so warm, so inviting, and so, so, so familiar. It was as if he lived it before, once upon a time.

"Don't leave me…"

Could he let another suffer from what he wanted to escape from?

"…alone…"

He understood loneliness. It was a terrible, terrible thing.

"Please…"

That voice was so hauntingly sad and familiar, something twisted in the region of his heart.

"Just take my hand…."

Dare he risk? What would he lose? Just a moment of slightly more unbearable pain, then its back to the agonizing loneliness... He reached out hesitatingly for that 'hand'.

"Yes big bro, just a little bit more, you can do it!"

The voice sounded excited, happy even. Somehow that made him feels good too. His hand touched something and he withdrew instinctively and immediately. Did it hurt? No, it didn't he marveled. In fact, that object felt warm. A new sensation! He reached out again for that 'hand', and this time, he would hold on.

"Yes, here, hold tight, big bro, we're going home…"

Then there was a bright flash of whiteness followed by a terrifying sense of vertigo. But the 'hand' was still there, the only real thing in his current world. He held on to that with everything he got.

He could feel the coldness on his back. He tried to move. It hurts like hell. Every single muscle in his body was cramping painfully. Was that his voice? He wondered as he heard the barest whisper of a pitiful moan. He felt a warmth moving through him, and the agony dulled to a bearable throbbing ache.

He opened his eyes to see a worried face looking down at him. _Who was he?_ He wondered. _More importantly, who am I?_

He could see disappointment and fear starting to show on the face above him. That hurts him, again he wondered why.

Then images started to appear before him. It was disorientating, seeing that face before him interspersed with a multitude of other images: a house, a car, a boat, a road, a giant robot… He felt nauseous. A spike of pain through his head forced him to close his eyes. The images flowed faster, but more smoothly now. And when he opened his eyes again just a few seconds later, he knew the anxious face before him.

"Hey little bro, I knew you could do it…"

**_Joe_** opened his eyes and saw the clear blue sky above him. For a moment, he felt disorientated. Then he remembered. He turned towards Frank, desperate to know if his brother made it out…

Frank was there, lying on the ice next to him. Both of their clothes were in tatters, a testimony to the ferocity of their battle just minutes ago. Minutes that felt like eternity. He could see the beginnings of the ugly dark bruises forming on various parts of Frank's body. And that was good. Only a living body could bruise like that. And yes, his brother's chest's moving. He's breathing.

He reached over to just simply touched Frank. There's one more thing he needed to know. He watched Frank's eyes fluttered. A low pitiful moan escaped his brother's throat. Oh yes, he know exactly how Frank felt – like he was bowled over by a dozen locomotive. Frank's eyes opened. It looked blankly at him, and his heart almost stopped beating. He could not bear it if he failed. Then, he saw a spark of recognition flashed. The lips curved into a weak smile.

"Hey little bro, I knew you could do it…" Frank rasped out.

Joe smiled; his eyes stung. He got Frank back…

"Welcome back, bro," he said, and then turned his full attention to Banz.

The Kalosian Entrapment spell was still going strong, but he could see the toll it took on his Soul Brother. Banz looked paler than he ever remembered. Joe walked around the perimeter of the Spell and examined it carefully. There was no way he could get Banz out without first dispersing the Legion. It was an entrapment spell, but also a death spell. If the Legion was not dispersed, it would self-destruct, taking the Legion and Banz with it. He knew why Banz did that – they could not risk the Legion possessing someone else…

So what could he do? Looking at Banz's pale form told him time was running out for his soul brother too. And for the first time, the Kalosian Entrapment Spell flickered.

Joe felt his heart miss a beat.

He had to disperse the Legion and sent all those souls to rest before the Spell ran down Banz's life-force totally. For all his power, he might not be able send all those souls to rest – he learned from his experience with Frank that some choices were not his to make. They have to want to move on…

Power was not everything. Somehow, that piece of knowledge soothed him a little, even as it filled him with dread for his soul brother's life.

Yet, there must be a way, he knew. Frank was living testimony of that. But the question was what?

_Use my memories, little bro' _Frank sent to him.

He did. He helped himself to Frank's memories and experience, seen and felt through Frank's eyes and mind.

The Legion as a single entity was vengeful and hungry. But what did the individual souls want?

He smiled.

The answer was there for those who have eyes to see.

The fiery walls flickered again, more wildly this time.

Joe took a deep breath and let his spirit walked again through the fiery walls and into the heart of the Legion. Once in there he opened his heart and soul and invited them all in.

He could hear Banz yelling at him to back off in a panicky voice.

He sent waves of reassurance across to Banz and at the same time worked to help disengage Banz from the Entrapment.

The lost souls were with him now, and the Spell dissolved itself slowly. Banz he could see was teetering on the verge of exhaustion. Yet his soul brother was still looking out for him. That knowledge warmed his heart. Joe would remember the deep seated anxiety in Banz's eyes as he witness all the lost souls zooming in and latching on to the light and warmth that he was projecting for a long, long time.

Still, as the darkness kept pouring in, he wondered if his light was enough to fill that gnawing fear and hunger.

Then he remembered his brothers and their love for him and knew without doubt that yes, his heart's big enough for them all.

**_From _**high up in the Southern skies, two entities watched over the three inert bodies lying so still in the snow totally worn down by the recent events.

"So he did it?" Amateratsu queried.

"No, they did it," Desiderata corrected, her soft blue eyes scanning the blond headed young man in the snow for injuries.

"My charge lives then?" Tanaris asked as he appeared next to the other from out of the inter-dimensional pocket.

"Of course! Joe would never let his brother go that easily," Desi answered in a mildly irate tone. "And you're not supposed to be here – you're not summoned yet!"

"No one will know I'm here, Desi. We'll let them keep that summoning illusion, as stated in the Eternal Compact." Tanaris said in a voice tinged with excitement. "I just can't wait for Joe to 'summon' me for his brother."

Desi rolled her eyes and Amateratsu snorted.

"May Lady Destiny have mercy on Frank," Desi prayed.

"Whatever have Frank done to deserve such a joker as his Guardian?" Amateratsu added mournfully.

"I agree, Frank deserves better," Desi continued.

Tanaris glared at them both.

"Might I remind both of you…"

A rumbling in the distance distracted all three Guardians from their banter. They all scanned the surroundings carefully, and then looked down on their charges with worried expressions on their face.

Tanaris could not help but reach out for his charge, but Amateratsu swiftly slapped his hand away.

"Careful! The Eternal Compact!" Amateratsu hissed.

"I didn't know they have storms here on the South Pole," Tanaris said as he reluctantly backed off. "We should get them to some shelter… maybe a blanket or something…"

"You know we can't! It's against the rules! Poor little things, they're all exhausted from their ordeal…" Amateratsu said.

"Maybe we can shield them from the worst of the storm in out True Form?" Desi suggested. "They won't be able to sense us…"

Tanaris looked at Desiderata, surprise clear on his features. "**Desiderata breaking rules?!"**

"Not breaking! **_Bending_**," Desi corrected him.

Amateratso chuckled: "Influences worked both ways, Tanaris! Maybe Frank will knock some discipline into you! I'm glad **_my_** charge is normal. Anyway, you better go back before you're missed! Or we'll all be in trouble."

"Only Amaterastsu would call a fire casting lunatic normal…" Desi muttered.

"Anyway, Joe's great for you Desi! You've become more like me ever since you got that troublesome kid as your charge!" Tanaris could not help but throw that parting shot laughingly at Desiderata as he disappeared back through the inter-dimensional pocket.

"Do you think they'll ever know what we truly are?" Amateratsu asked of Desi as he took on his true form.

Desi let the tendrils of light wrapped around her, then slowly let her transcendental luminescent wings unfold and opened to its full span before answering.

"I don't think so, but with Joe, you'll never know. He's more sensitive than any of my previous charges."

Amateratsu nodded and the two of them in their ethereal form seated themselves on the cold ground next to the three sleeping young men, shielding them from the worst of the ice and wind.

* * *


	39. DGTTOM Episode 38

* * *

**And the next bit - sorry about the long break. But after the move, I hurt my back, followed by some other problems. I pondered a long time over this - since I planned for this christmas piece when I brought Phil and Van into the picture. But was unable to deliver a christmas fic. But I am not sure how to continue without this either because of the closure issues, so here it is, over a month late. As mentioned, I'll finish this 3rd story before continuing with Gingerbread House. Thanks for bearing with me during this difficult period. **

**PK: TA will be posting the SNHB chapters. ****So no point bugging me. ****Total of 30 chapters for the trilogy - so after th****e entire scene is set by chapter 5 of part 1, th****e rest should be action-led. And take your time with the Partheois chapters. I'm not in a hurry - rather have a good fic than a rushed one. I'm already that late anyway for Liz's birthday, I now have till her next birthday. TA is also going through first chap of Gingerbread 2 - 28 days later. I am still combing through those 200 grimms tales for that one story I need. **

* * *

**To Come Home on an Alien Land**

By Jolly

_Episode 38_

**Destiny: Godson to The Old Man**

**_It_** was cold, dark, and quiet evening on Christmas Day in Bayport. And perched on three huge sturdy branches of an old Oak tree just above a little tree-house located at the corner of Elm and High Street were three young men. Feeling secure behind the invisibility spell, the two brothers ignored the family eating dinner in their former home and shared the happy childhood memories of that tree-house with their soul brother.

Suddenly the kitchen door opened. A little girl ran out, heading straight for the tree-house, crying. The three young men halted their conversation and watched quietly.

The little girl went to the little box in the corner of the tree house and took out a little crumpled letter. It was the letter she wrote to Santa a year ago when she was five. Now she read her copy over and over, trying to figure out what went wrong.

"I was a good girl all year." she sniffed. "I did everything mama said, I eat all my vegetables, I did not lie. I did not steal, not even my favorite mama's home baked cookies. I was a good girl; even grumpy Uncle Ted said so! So why didn't you give me the Christmas gift I ask for, Santa? Why?"

Suddenly she stood up and flung the crumpled paper away.

"You fake, you liar, you… you…" she screamed out before collapsing back onto the wooden floor sobbing.

Another older girl came out of the kitchen door and slowly climbed up into the tree-house. It was clear she wasn't well; her head was balding and was partially wrapped in bandages. For a moment, she sat next to her little sister, her thin bony hands resting comfortingly on her younger sister's shoulders.

"I don't want you to die, Chrissie…" the little girl cried. "I was a good girl and all I ask of Santa is to make you well again. Instead he's going to let you die. There's no Santa…"

"Oh Cory, I'm not dying yet, little sis," Chrissie said more confidently than she felt. "The doctors are still trying something. I'm sure the doctors will find a way…" She was the big sister by three years, and it was her job to comfort and look after her baby sister.

"I heard mama and papa talking just now, Chrissie. They said there is no hope." Cory sobbed. "And I saw papa and mama putting the presents under the tree last night when I tried to stay up to wait for Santa… there's no Santa, Chrissie! They lied to us! There's no Santa… there's no hope…"

There was nothing Chrissie could say to Cory. Cory's quick and smart, smarter than her. Though the doctors said it was the thing in her head that was affecting her ability to remember and to reason. Still, she must try. She was the big sister and that was her job. She opened her mouth but no words came out of it. Her heart broke. She could not help her sister today. And soon, she won't be here anymore for Cory. She turned her face to the skies; she frowned, then her face brightened again.

"Pray with me, Cory. Pray with me now with all your heart!" She called out to her little sister.

"Why?" Cory asked dully. "I prayed every night for a year. That did not work."

"It will work tonight, Cory," Chrissie said in an excited tone. "Because today Lord Jesus Christ was born, so today God's angels roamed the world in celebration of that miracle. If we pray now, they'll hear us. And if we believe and have faith, they'll help us. You just have to have faith…"

"How do you know there are really angels around? I've never seen any. Maybe they are like Santa. Something papa and mama made up…" Cory started.

But Chrissie grabbed her hands and interrupted, her eyes shining bright with hope.

"I know because they're here!" Chrissie whispered confidently and conspiratorially.

Cory stared at her big sister as if the brain tumor finally got to Chrissie and made her crazy.

"They're here! If you don't believe me, look there!" Chrissie pointed to three thick branches just above their head.

Cory looked up but saw only branches and leaves. "There's nothing there, sis," she said in a dejected tone. The brain tumor got to her sis after all.

"They're there, but you have to believe to see them. You have to believe, Cory, for me, please?"

Cory turned her eyes to those branches again. Was it her imagination or did the branches just moved? She rubbed her eyes before staring at the spot again. _Please God, if you are real, let me see your angels_, she prayed fervently and silently. _Let me believe!_

Then she thought she could see faint outlines amongst the leaves. A while later she gasped. Her big sister was right! Seated up there on the branches were three angels…

She prayed, harder than she ever did in her young life.

_Please, Lord, please, please, please…_

The three young men on the branches stared down at the two little girls, surprised written all over their faces.

"I think they saw us," Frank commented rhetorically after the sick sister started trying to convince the younger one that there were three angels sitting atop their tree house.

"Impossible!" Banz whispered back empathically as he noted the young girl below peeking at them through one open eye. "My invisibility spell is functioning perfectly."

Joe just sat there watching the two girls intently, and soon, a light smile formed on his face. "Yes, they saw us," Joe confirmed.

A short while later, the young girl called Cory stood up on her stubby legs and stared up at them, an annoyed expression on her face.

"Well," she called out. "Are you going to help us or are you just going to sit there like lazy bums?"

"Cory!" Chrissie cried out in a horrified tone. "You don't talk to God's angels like that!"

"If they're angels, they won't be so cruel as to give us false hope, and if they're not, then I don't see why we should be nice to them," Cory countered logically. "So, are you guys helping or am I wasting my time with prayers?" She demanded.

Frank could feel the start of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Cory's like a kid version of Joe. He could feel both Joe and Banz struggling to stifle the urge to laugh out loud.

_'Sweet memories?' _Banz sent over to both of them.

_'Very,'_ Frank answered before turning to Joe. _'Can we help them?'_

_'Yes,'_ Joe replied softly as he alighted from the branch and onto the tree house. _'They're directly descended from one of the twelve lost tribes. They're our responsibility, Frank.' _He waited for his brothers to join him.

Chrissie was looking at them in awe. Cory on the other hand placed both her hands firmly on her hips, tilted her little head upwards towards them, shook her golden locks out of her eyes, jutted out her chin, and said: "Either you help or go tell God about our prayers. If you don't, I'll tell God you three had been lazy, and God'll kick you down to Hell for being bad."

'She's scared, but she's still standing up to us, a six year old child,' Banz said, admirations clear in his tone. 'The Old Man is right, this world is indeed special.'

"You're going to help aren't you?" Cory finally said again, but this time, the brothers could detect the slightest tremble to her lips. Her large blue eyes started to brighten just a little. The tears would not be far away now.

"You're not angels, are you?" Cory finally said. "You're just ghosts and you can't really help us, can you?"

"Cory!" Chrissie squeaked.

Frank was surprised. Being tagged as 'ghost' was certainly unexpected. But he supposed he and Joe were technically 'ghosts' here.

"It's the truth, Chrissie. Don't you recognize the two of them? That photograph we found in the attic some months back. Mom and Dad said they were dead, remember?" Cory slumped in disappointment. "I'm sure now they want us to help them so they can move on and go to heaven."

Chrissie took another look at her 'angels', and had to agree that her baby sis might be right this time. Still, they are good looking, the type she'd love to have as boyfriends when she grew older, she thought. "Let's help them if we can," she said to her sister.

"Okay, okay, tell us what you need. We'll help if we can," Cory said with melodramatic flare. "I'm only doing it for my sis." Then her eyes brightened as something else just hit her. "And when you get to heaven, you tell God to help my sister. Do we have a deal?" She added.

Frank collapsed laughing. He could not help it. Cory's audacity went beyond anything he and his brother ever did. Berating angels, making deals with ghosts and bargaining with God? Goodness… Frank shook his head and wiped away his tears. He could see his brother were not in better shape than he was. And Banz, though mystified by what Cory was saying, had a smile on his lips.

"Well, do we have a deal or not?" Cory stomped her feet impatiently while poor Chrissie looked downright horrified.

Joe knelt down before the girls, reached out to touch Chrissie just lightly, before turning to Cory.

"Yes, there is something you can do for us," Joe said. "Go for your dreams. Reach out for them and never look back. You can do that, can't you?"

"How did you know about our dreams?" Cory asked.

Joe smiled.

"And tell your mom and dad to bring Chrissie to the doctor's tomorrow. She'll be fine, I promise you that." Joe said.

"She's not sick anymore?" Cory asked, her tone clearly disbelieving.

"I do feel much better, Cory," Chrissie suddenly said. "My head's not hurting anymore."

"You'll still have to take good care of her, Cory. She'll need to rest, eat healthy food, rebuild her strength. You can help her do that, can't you?" Joe asked.

Cory nodded eagerly. Anything, if it meant her sister would get better again. And Chrissie really did look better. She decided to take everything at face value and have faith for now.

"What did you do? How did you do it?" She asked. This time, there was no mistaking that little hitch of awe in her voice.

"I healed her," Joe said. "But that's our secret. You can keep secrets, can't you?" Joe asked, and both girls nodded their head vigorously.

"Good. We've to go now. So the two of you take care. Know that everything will always be fine as long as you have each other." With that, Joe signaled to his brothers and the three of them teleported away.

"Wow," both girls gushed before lapsing into awestruck silence.

"You know something, Cory," Chrissie finally said.

"What," Cory asked.

"I'm not afraid of dying anymore."

"Why not?"

"I think when you die, your soul move on and become one of God's angels doing God's works."

"You know, big sister, I think you're right as usual." Cory finally admitted a little grudgingly. "And you're right, they are very good looking ghosts."

And half a mile away, the three young men were walking and enjoying the feel of the cold night wind against their faces.

"So, what are their dreams, little bro?" Frank asked.

Joe turned to his brother with a contented smile on his face.

"To be super-heroines and police women… They found our childhood diaries up in the attic and read our stories. They'll live our dreams for us, Frank."

"Ah," and Frank smiled too. Their legacy on Earth would live on after all.

Soon, they were at Mr. Pizza. The close sign was there, but the three brothers knew that all of their old gang was in there. Even Callie, who flew in from California just this morning. Theirs was a tight gang. They made their way through the unlocked door and into the little cozy Italian eatery.

On the second floor of Mr. Pizza was the extra space that was sometimes used by the eatery to host various parties and functions. There, the old group of friends sat and remembered the good old days.

"Are you sure they will be here?" Chet Morton asked a hint of impatience in his voice.

"Yes," Phil replied simply.

"I'm quite sure they'll be just a little late because Joe got himself into some sort a little trouble," Tony Prito quipped lightly.

The others chuckled as they recalled all the little scrapes that Joe managed to get himself into through his growing years. Frank swore jokingly his kid brother was responsible for the two gray hairs Callie found on his head in his final year at Bayport High.

Then they heard the softest sound of the door creaking and turned around to face the slowly opening door. The brothers were here, they knew. For a moment, they simply stayed where they were and looked at each other. It's been a long time.

"I see you haven't oiled those old hingles as usual," Joe said lightly as a way of breaking the ice.

"Been waiting for you forever to come back do the job, Joe," Tony returned.

Everyone laughed softly at the memories of those good old high school days, and the many hours they spent in this room making merry and celebrating each other's birthday. Happy memories were a precious thing.

"So, can you tell us what happened now?" Phil asked as soon as the introductions were over. "Where exactly did the two of you disappear to and why can't you have contacted us?"

"Is it some sort of witness protection program or something?" Callie asked Frank directly, a tiny tinge of hurt still evident in her voice.

Got to be something like that, the brothers could hear the others muttering.

Vanessa just sat there and stared at Joe. But it was clear from her rather stiff stance that she wanted an answer more than anyone else. Joe supposed he should give her that.

"We died," Frank said quietly. "Joe, Mom, Dad, me… All of us."

"Now Frank, you can't expect us to believe that crap. You looked very alive as far as I can see," Biff Hooper countered.

"Actually, I do believe they are telling the truth," Phil announced. "Why not give them a chance to tell their story?"

And so, that was how it was: Old friends coming together on Christmas night, chatting of what happened and reliving the good old days, piling in on the pizzas and coca-colas. In background, the old jukebox played memorable tunes, and a number of Christmas jingles.

For two hours later, the brothers took turns telling a sanitized version of what happened, fielding questions as they came. Their friends listened, eyes wide opened with disbelief. When it was over, Vanessa and Callie excused themselves and made their way to their own private corner of that eatery. A short moment later, the brothers followed, leaving their friends to entertain Banz.

Callie sat in her favorite corner downstairs, fingering her engagement ring and waited for Frank to join her. And he did.

"It's been years, Frank," Callie said softly. "Good to see that you're well. And that you got Joe back."

"Congrates on your engagement, Cal," Frank said a little awkwardly. He still felt a little guilty for ignoring her all those years back. "And I'm sorry for just disappearing off you."

Callie smiled. That was over three years ago and she had move on, but it still felt good to hear that apology. For the years she wasted wondering if she somehow failed as a girlfriend somehow. It took her fiancé a long time to convince her that she would make a great partner and a loving wife.

"I've moved on, Frank. But thanks for that. And I see you found someone else too," she said, her eyes on that plain band that Frank was wearing.

She watched as her former love smiled softly and gave a quick nod. Something was not quite right, she knew. And instinctively, she knew what might be the problem. She went through it after all. And some men could be so clueless when it comes to the mystery of maintaining a healthy relationship. The one standing before her was one, despite his brilliance at just about everything else.

"Do not repeat that same mistake with her, Frank," Callie cautioned, much to Frank's surprise. "If you don't let her in, you'll lose her."

With that, she stood up and prepared to return to the others upstairs. Then she paused, lean over to give Frank one last peck on his cheek.

"I'm glad you're okay. And I know you can do it right this time round," she said.

Then she left, leaving Frank alone in that alcove to think over her words. She had her closure.

Vanessa made her way to the ladder that led to the roof of Mr. Pizza eatery. Once there, she settled comfortably on the gently sloping tiles, watched the stars twinkling above her, and waited. It did not take long for Joe to join her there. Together, they enjoyed the twinkling of the stars in comfortable silence. The way they used to during that short year they had as a couple before fate intervened.

"Do you believe in soul mates, Joe?" Vanessa asked.

Joe turned and looked at Vanessa, surprised at the nature of that question.

"That was what I thought we were when we first met…" Vanessa started softly before he voice tapered off.

"Van…"

"You were wearing this blue T-shirt the same shade as mine…" She shook her head a little angrily and a little sadly. "But you aren't my soul mate, are you?"

"No…"

"You died!" Vanessa lashed back in an accusing tone. "You died and left me to pick up the pieces on my own. And now, when I thought I finally got past all that, you had the temerity to come back to life again! How could you, Joe? Just how could you do that to me?" She raged.

And Joe sat there and listened and let her vent. It was her right, and it was the least he could do. It was a while before Vanessa calmed down.

"Sorry Joe," she sniffed at the end of her rant.

"It's okay, Van. And you do need to let it out," Joe shrugged. "And I have to say 'I'm sorry' too."

"Whatever for?"

"For dying and leaving you in pain, and for coming back and bringing you more grief," Joe said.

For a moment, Vanessa wondered if Joe was serious.

"You haven't answered my question." Vanessa said instead.

"What question?"

"Do you believe in such a thing as soul mates?"

"Yes." The response was firm and sure.

"Then we can't be soul mates, can we?" Vanessa asked again rather sadly. "If you hadn't 'died', do you think we could have been happy together?"

Joe eyed Vanessa sadly. That was a future that could never be. He wondered for a moment what he could possibly say to her that would make her feel better.

"I think we could have made each other very happy, even though we are not soul mates. But eventually, I think we would have parted ways, because that would not be enough. We would need that little bit more that only our other half could give to us. Does that make sense to you?"

Van eyed him for a moment before finally nodding a little.

"Your soul mate. What's she like?"

"Fiercely loyal and very opinionated; we have a difference in opinion in just about everything. But she made me happy despite all those little frustrating moments," Joe answered with a smile.

"I see."

Vanessa sounded so sad, and Joe wondered if there was anything else he could do to help her.

"I think I still owe you something," he said finally.

"Oh?" Vanessa's curious, and that's good.

"I never gave you that Christmas present I promised, did I?"

"No, you did not," Vanessa answered and Joe was glad to see that spark of interest back in her eyes.

"Here."

And Joe called on his talents, conjured a lens that allowed them both a tiny peek into the future by bending the space time continuum just a little. A series of images flashed by; and Vanessa could see herself in a very happy relationship, and two very happy chubby kids running around her. The man's face was unfortunately hidden from her.

"That's my soul mate?" Vanessa asked in a quiet voice.

"Yes."

"Why can't I see him?"

"Because you'll have to let him into your life, Van," Joe answered. "You have to let go of the past and move forward."

"But how would I know he's the one? How did you know she's the one for you?"

"When you can see all his faults and still love him and feel happy just having him around…"

"I will be happy? I will really be that happy?" Vanessa asked again.

Joe turned Vanessa to face him.

"Van, we shared something very special together. We may not be soul mates, but I do care for you very much. Just promised me one thing; that's you'll settle for nothing less than your soul mate. Then I'll know that you will be happy."

Van looked back at Joe again. She let her fingers traced his features lovingly, before letting go and stepping back.

"I think I know why God gave me that time with you, Joe. It is so that I will know when I meet my soul mate. And I promise you, I won't settle for less. Thanks, Joe."

They shared a final hug before heading back down to join the others. It was long past midnight, and hours after Christmas before the party broke up, and the old gang each went their separate ways

Much later, as the three of them were heading towards rendezvous point with Optimus Prime in their Guardians, Banz asked his brothers what they would like for Christmas - within budget of course. And the Hardy brothers shared and sang him a old song from their childhood days:

What Can I Give You This Christmas?

_Words and Music By: T.B. Weaver  
Adapted by Terry Kluytmans  
Copyright © 2001 can I give you this Christmas,  
With prices up so very high?  
A kiss (or even twenty!),  
Cost not a dime or penny,  
A gift we cannot sell or buy --  
That is what I shall give you this Christmas!_

_What can I give you this Christmas,  
With prices up so very high?  
Some hugs -- a baker's dozen,  
Would set your heart a-buzzin',  
A gift we cannot sell or buy --  
That is what I can give you this Christmas!_

_What can I give you this Christmas,  
With prices up so very high?  
A smile of joy and gladness,  
To chase off any sadness,  
A gift we cannot sell or buy --  
That is what I can give you this Christmas!_

_What can I give you this Christmas,  
With prices up so very high?  
A wish of health and treasure,  
Success, and peace, and pleasure,  
A gift we cannot sell or buy --  
That is what I can give you this Christmas!_


	40. DGTTOM Episode 39

* * *

The next bit.

* * *

**To Come Home on an Alien Land**

By Jolly

_Episode 39_

**Destiny: Godson to The Old Man**

**_The _**space before them was cold and desolate. It was littered with chunks of dead rocks, floating about aimlessly and meaninglessly about. There were no stars, no heavenly bodies to gather the different piles of what were formerly planets and asteroids into orbit around them. The rocks either stay still or floated wherever a third party decided to push them to. The desolation was so acute, and Joe could feel the lifelessness, the loneliness, crying out for release from its meaningless existence. No living being could stay there for long without feeling as if its very own life was being leeched out of it to fill the yawning hunger of this lifeless section of the universe.

The scene before him was the result of hundreds of years of highly destructive high-tech war between the various factions of the autobots fighting for supremacy. That sight, more than anything else, told the three soul brothers the futility of gaining power at all cost. It would only end in death, the deaths of the little soldiers following orders, the death of the little ordinary people caught up in the war, and the death of worlds. When a handful of powerful beings made the decision to battle, no one wins, and what was left at the end was the vastness of empty space and floating chunks of rocks that were worth nothing.

That must be why the so-called "Corporation" had to conquer more and more galaxies – because they left behind so much destruction, they gained nothing. So they fought for more, only to find they needed more. It was a meaningless war, where gains were not only temporary, they were also illusions.

_I think you're right about that, Joe_, Frank sent back. He came to the same conclusion his brother did. There was no such thing as winning a war. There was only the question of which side sustained a greater loss.

_That's why we cannot allow the Corporation to win_, Banz concluded. _Their expansion plans stopped at our galaxy._

Joe listened to his brothers' comments, but his mind was on the sight of the dead and lifeless space before him. He shook his head sadly.

_That is not our right to decide, Banz. Our responsibility is only for our galaxy. If we judge others, and take on their responsibilities, then where does it end? There would always be more judgment and more responsibilities to take up. And we would become just like our enemy. The others must fight their own battles_, he sent back.

"It wasn't always like this," Optimus Prime said softly to the brothers. "This corner of the galaxy was once a thriving world, where artisans spun their crafts and merchants piled their trades along trade routes. Brightly colored living crystal forests covered whole planets, and autobots live and learn and generate new autobots to take on specific tasks for the betterment of our world…"

Joe nodded. He knew the history of the autobots. Prime had given the three of them a crash course on autobots history before showing them what was left of their section of the galaxy. And the autobot leader had also told them that the autobots had wished to remain in this galaxy rather than moving over to a new one. This place, no matter how dead, was still their home for thousands of years. And there were still the remaining decepticons for them to think about. They could not just move over to a new world and leave the weaker and more innocent species, such as Earthlings, to deal with the dregs of the autobots society. Joe had thought over the issue and discussed it with his brothers. He had agreed to try to rebuild Cybertron where it was.

"And even if you can repair this section of space, we are still a dying race. Without the All Spark, we cannot regenerate," Prime conceded. "But it would be good to be able to see the old crystal forests again, to walk under those sparkling branches and crystalline leaves. To be able to see home again…"

There was no mistaking the yearning in that metallic voice.

Frank and Joe exchanged a glance. They had discussed the situation over and over, and the conclusion was always the same. Prime was an honorable being. They could trust him.

'Are you sure?' Joe asked Frank for the last time. 'We would be giving away our children's and our children's children heirloom and heritage. We can never take it back… Is it our right to give it away on their behalf?"

'Yes,' Frank answered with absolute certainty and conviction. 'So what if we hold on to it? Could we tell our children and grandchildren that we kept this heirloom for them at the cost of the lives of an entire race? Do we want genocide to be their heritage? No, we will be giving them a heritage worth telling about for generations to come. Every father will tell their son and grandsons, the story of how their heritage allowed an entire race to live again. That will be our heritage to our children.'

And Joe smiled, another burden melted off his shoulders. With a brother like Frank, he would never have to fear letting power getting to his head. Frank would always be there to keep his feet firmly on the ground.

Summoning Noah's Ark for the last time, Joe went to work at modifying the functions of the little cube. The Spark of Life might have been used to save Frank, but a residual spark of power remained within. That, coupled with the inherent power of the Ark itself, allowed Joe to develop a 'Creation Matrix' for the autobots. It would allow the autobots race to regenerate over time, as long as the leader of the autobots and the keeper of the matrix do not abuse the power given to his or her keeping.

Prime watched in amazement as the cube morphed and changed it the lad's hands. Then he could feel it – that all too familiar regenerative power of the All Spark. He felt hope blossomed in his chest. The autobots would live again, he knew now without a doubt. He watched on as the lad continued his work. His eyes started to sting, as the electrical circuits there started to twitch. If he were human, he knew that tears would soon be pouring out of his eyes.

It took a while, but it was finally done. Joe turned to Prime and offered the newly built 'Creation Matrix' to the autobot leader.

"The All Spark is a powerful object and your family heritage," Prime said. He still could not believe that the brothers would give up something so powerful and so valuable just like that.

"Yes it was," Joe replied with his eyes on his brother and a contented smile on his face. "But we now have something even better as our family heritage."

Prime took the Matrix from Joe's hand, held it reverently for a while before placing it carefully within his chest.

"Thank you," Prime said simply. "We will remember your gift and sacrifice."

The other autobots around them echoed their thanks and respect.

Frank and Joe faces turned a bright red, and Banz looked on, the pride for his soul brothers' magnanimity clear on his face.

"Its time to start repairing the damage done to this section of the galaxy," Joe finally said as he started to get a little uncomfortable with the amount of gratitude being showered on him.

"Can you, really?" Jazz asked a hopeful tone in his voice.

"It would be difficult, but I can try," Joe replied softly.

In truth, he wasn't really that confident. He was a healer, and given time, his talent allowed him to heal almost any specie. But to be able to heal the Cosmos? That was unheard of. Yet his godfather had hinted that he could, so he would try. He reached for his talent; and then frowned.

Both Frank and Banz noted that straightaway.

"What's the problem?" Frank asked.

"I would need to open up totally to let my own healing energies mesh and sync with all those scattered cosmic energy swirling haphazardly about here in order to be able to redirect it and repair the damage…" Joe explained.

"But that would mean that you will be totally unshielded and open to attack…" Banz caught on immediately.

And with Starscream and the rest of the decepticons still unaccounted for, that would be a rather risky endeavor, Frank realized.

Prime must have realized that too, for he offered, "You've already given us much; we would not ask that of you if it risks your life. We could find another corner of the galaxy and build a new home there."

The other autobots nodded in agreement, but one could not miss the disappointment that they were trying to hide. At the end of the day, there was nothing sweeter than coming back to your own home.

Nevertheless, that was an irrelevant offer, for he still had to complete his Rite of Ascension, and he still need to claim the Dragon Fyre. He would need it soon, he knew without a doubt. For what, he knew not, but he would need it soon.

He turned to his brothers and they understood. Suddenly they recalled The Old Man mentioning shielding Joe during his most vulnerable moment. This would be it.

"The cosmic flow cannot be disrupted during the realignment process or there might be consequences for the space-time continuum and the stability of this section of space," Joe added. The truth was, he would not be able to pull out of it even if he wanted to. Not till the entire process was completed, whether successfully or otherwise. Chances were that the disruption would vaporize him and he would become a random thread of energy floating aimlessly amongst those lifeless rocks.

Frank and Banz acknowledged that statement. Together, they scanned their surroundings for any signs of the enemy, but detected nothing. Banz did a double check; not that he did not trust Frank's handiwork, he had absolute faith in Frank's meticulousness and care where Joe's life was concern. But Frank's ten weeks of experience could not compare to his decade long experience. And where his soul brother's life was concern, there was no such thing as being too careful. The coast was clear. So Banz gave Joe the go-ahead. But he and Frank would continue scanning and stand guard over him.

Prime and his autobots were not idle either; they split into several teams and started to patrol the space around those three brothers. It was the best they could do. Prime was all too aware of the difficulty in defending a fortress in a three-dimensional space. That was why there was no such thing as looking for a choke point and holding out in a space war. Unlike two-dimensional land warfare, the enemy can attack from virtually any direction in space, including above and below. Creating strongholds for an outer perimeter defense rarely work for the vastness of space easily allow the enemy to sneak through. Furthermore, the further one gets from the fortress, the more strongholds will be needed to safeguard the perimeter. Perimeter defense was a costly and ineffectual method. That was why space wars are usually aggressive and attack-based. The attacker had the advantage of time and strategy most of the time.

Joe stood on that piece of floating rock that was once a part of Cybertron. He centered himself. Then he opened up his mind, gathered his healing energies, and let it reached out into the chaotic remnants of cosmic energies still existing in that section of space. From those fragments of disjointed energies, he tracked and traced its histories, and began the arduous task of piecing them back together again. The massive amount of energies ebbed and flowed and swirled around him, and slowly, he sorted through them all, thread by thread. Slowly, he reconstructed the original cosmic flow that held this section of space together, worked out how they worked and meshed with other parts of the galaxy.

There was no way anyone could rebuild an entire section of space within a few hours of course. What Joe did was to utilize certain functions from Runescape that enabled him to move forward and backward in time. In a sense, time for him stilled as he became one with the cosmos that he was healing. A hundred thousand years and more passed by as he slowly light the first spark of the tiny star that would become the beacon of the Cybertron homeworld. Slowly, he coaxed that little star to burn and to grow into a flaming sun. That would be the core where he would center all the related gravitational forces, and direct all the cosmic flows. He worked alone through those long years, and learned to appreciate how much work and care it took to create a world. And how fragile that creation was, that could be so totally and utterly destroyed in just hundreds of years of war. He worked on, creating the remaining stars and realigning all those planetary orbits, mending the very fabric of the space-time continuum behind him as he moved swiftly through the centuries into the future where his brothers were waiting. It was a draining process. It was also tedious and boring and lonely and time-consuming.

But all that went unfelt by anyone else but him. Those around him, including his brothers, could only watch in awe as the pieces of rocks began to shift and move. They watched fascinated as the original stars were born again in a matter of hours, and the rocks gathered together and reformed planets. They watched with amazement on their faces as the remaining unused rocks gathered and formed asteroid belts, as the gravitational forces came back into play once more. And they watched in awe, as the 'rock' they were on became Cybertron, and gasped as living crystal flowers began to flourish at their feet.

**_From_** a long distance away, an army of decepticons were observing the happenings through several nanobot space-probes that they dispatched to spy on their enemy. Their world was almost rebuilt, and they could sense that regenerative energy again. They were no longer a dying race.

"We'll move in on my signal," Starscream commanded. He had taken over the leadership of the decepticons. "We grab the boy, and if we can't, we kill him."

The decepticons nodded in agreement. They would not allow Prime to be in possession of anything as powerful as that being that was now re-creating entire planetary systems. Then Starscream gave the signal, and they charged.

**_Too _**late, Banz realized, that Joe's manipulations of the cosmic energies flows around them had negate his abilities to scan for foreign objects to a larger extent than he anticipated. A wave of his hand and an uttered spell resulted in the fiery destruction of three nano-spybots that he just detected near them. He cursed even as he sent Frank a warning to be on his guard.

**_"Incoming!"_** Jazz warned as he took on the first of the attacking decepticons. They were out-sized and outnumbered as usual, Jazz thought in despair. But hell if those decepticons think that they could just come in and destroy everything again – Jazz just about got his home back and he wanted to be able to live in it and work on his art and music again like he did so many years ago. He gritted his teeth and took on his larger sized opponent. He may be smaller, but he had everything to fight for. He ripped off the head of his opponent with a ferocity that shocked even himself; then shrugged and reach out for his second opponent.

From the surface of the planet, the brothers watched the autobots fought in the sky above them, keeping a worried eye on Joe. Soon, the battle would reach the plane's surface, and they would be in the heart of it.

_Almost done, just a few minutes more…_ Joe sent to them. _And no, don't shield me, it will disrupt the flow and everything will be undone… And I can't stop now, or I'll be caught in the backlash…_

That left Frank and Banz with no choice but to simply stand by to deflect incoming missiles and stray pieces of flying debris from Joe's body. Desi and Amateratsu had their hands full trying to keep the decepticons who were attacking en-mass from their charges. Given the ferocity of the attack and the number of autobots fighting all around them, both Banz and Frank also had their hands full.

Banz cast fireball after fireball to pulverize any incoming debris or missiles, and sent fragments of psychic energies to deflect any approaching decepticons, pushing them back into the sky or away from Joe. He was alert and careful, but the sheer chaos around him told him that eventually something would slip through somewhere. It was just a matter of statistical probability.

_Hurry, Joe, you need to get it done…like NOW_, Banz sent the message to Joe rather desperately. The decepticons outnumbered them, and they could not afford to be fighting at a handicap indefinitely.

_Disengaging…_ Joe's response was terse as he worked desperately to untangle himself from the mess of energy streams that made up this current section of the cosmos.

Frank was also hoping Joe finished soon. As far as he could see, things were not going well. Joe's inability to use shields or to work under shields means that he and Banz had to be physically out there deflecting any potentially deadly incoming attacks. So like Banz, he was always on the move, his mind always alert and scanning for anything and everything incoming. Unlike Banz, he could not cast fireballs, so he had to depend on his storm spheres, which were deadly against the decepticons, but not as effective against flying chunks of debris.

_Come on Joe!_ He called out rather desperately. They were depending rather heavily on Banz to clear the debris, and Frank could see that Banz was tiring. Banz had yet to regain his full strength after casting that Kalosian spell.

_DONE!_ Joe called out triumphantly, just as Starscream appeared out of nowhere and fired a volley at him, catching him totally off guard.

A storm shield suddenly appeared over him, shielding him from the blast. Joe smiled, Frank he knew, would always come through for him. Just as quickly, the shield was gone. But it did what it needed to do. Joe quickly sent an electrical pulse into Starscream, knocking him out of the skies, before turning to face another two incoming decepticons.

_Thanks, bro,_ he called out. Only to realized that his message never reached its intended target.

"Frank?" he called out again, both physically and mentally this time, ignoring the two enemy units heading towards him. A tiny tendril of fear started to creep up on him, but he forced it back. He refused to think about that. Not yet anyway.

There was still no response so he swiveled towards Frank's last known location. That area was totally decimated by a blast. It was then Joe realized why Frank was able to conjure a shield around him so instantaneously: Frank didn't. His brother had sent his own personal shields across…

"No…"

The tiniest of denial crept out of his suddenly dry throat. Wild eyes scanned his surroundings, hoping against all hope that he was mistaken. Autobots battled around him. Desi and Amateratsu were in the air engaged with their rivals. Banz was racing towards him.

But Frank was nowhere in sight.

Desperate and terrified, he reached out with his mind and reached out to all corners of the galaxy. He was not supposed to do that, but he broke the rules and did it anyway. That was also an illogical act, he knew. There was no way his brother could have been anywhere else but on this planet. But desperation and denial bred hope made him reach out anyway. The answer was what he already knew.

Frank was gone.

"No…." It started softly. "No, nononono…"

Then it escalated into an agonized howl.

"NOOOOOOO!"

* * *


	41. DGTTOM Episode 40

And the next bit.

Thanks Amethyst. I think this story was merely posted in the wrong genre ;p

Bhar: the site is: babykenobi (dot) blogspot (dot) com. hope you enjoy the read.

PK: you can guess where that story is being post by now, can't you?

Skye: I love starwars and like you was disappointed with Episode 1-3... would you like a Starwars HB XO? I got one gathering dust in my locker somewhere. 'Laura' was Jedi and ended up on Earth due to a mishap, eventually married Fenton... then her past came back for them all of course. If you do, I'll go get that one up after I finish my Supernatural HB XO.

* * *

**To Come Home on an Alien Land**

By Jolly

_Episode 40_

**Destiny: Godson to The Old Man**

**_The _**two incoming decepticons saw the dejected form of the young man before them and thought that they were going to have an easy target. They ignored the warnings the other red-haired human was trying to give them, and forced him away with a series of well-placed missiles. Starscream would be so pleased, they thought as they reached out for the human.

They could not have been more mistaken.

**_Hurt_** like nothing he ever felt before ripped through him. Every nerve ending flared painfully, he felt that loss with every fibre of his being. After everything they went through together, after Banz's sacrifices, and Frank's gone? That thought was painfully unbearable.

_No…_

He screamed his pain out loud; the psychic backlash of his agony blast out of him with such force, it pushed everything away from him, and flattened the newly flourishing crystal vegetation for miles. Then he sensed a number of objects approaching him.

_They killed him…They killed Frank… those decepticons killed his brother…_

Joe stilled and waited till the two approaching decepticons were so close they could see him clearly. He wanted to see their expressions and feel their fear when life was drained out of them. He was a True Healer, and as such, he could feel every spark of life in every being. He knew what makes every specie click. He knew how to shut them down, whether quickly and efficiently, or in the most painful way possible. He turned, faced them, and held them at the edge of death for an eternal second, before blasting them into nothingness. Only to find that he did not enjoy that vengeance; it did not make him feel better at all. Instead, he felt worse.

Given the amount of power he possessed, his rage and fury manifested as cosmic storms that rage across the surface of the planet and through the vastness of space. It blasted pass all the battling robots, and all the fighting grinded to a halt as all eyes turned to the source.

_No… Frank cannot be gone. Not after all he had done to keep Frank alive… He will not allow it. He cannot allow it… Power, he has unimaginable power… There must be something that he could do…_

Joe reached out with his mind, found Optimus Prime, and dragged the autobot leader before him and reached out for that Creation Matrix…

**_Banz _**barely managed to hold out against the initial psychic blast from Joe. From there, he fought against the wild and mad cosmic storm his soul brother had conjured slowly making his way towards Joe inch by inch. All the other autobots had backed away from the crazed and grief stricken young man warily. But he alone continued forward. Unlike them, he knew his soul brother. At least, he hoped he knew Joe well enough to say the right things…

"You don't want to do that, Joe!" He shouted into the wind just before Joe touched the creation matrix, and hoped that Joe heard it. "What would Frank think of you?"

Joe heard him and turned around. His heart almost broke at that grief-stricken expression on Joe's face. It constricted in fear at the sight of his soul brother's eyes. Those eyes that should have been a deep sparkling blue had darkened to almost black. Having seen the magnitude of Joe's powers, Banz knew without doubt his soul brother could kill him within a sec should he wanted to. And at this current situation, anything could set Joe off. That knowledge did terrify him a little. No, he did not fear death. Rather, he feared what would happen to Joe afterwards should he fail and die. Joe would never recover his sanity, he knew, and the universe would suffer for it. He gritted his teeth. He had to reach Joe somehow, before it's too late for his soul brother to turn back.

"Frank would be disappointed," Banz added in a softer voice now that he had Joe's attention. "He would rather die than become a monster, and he did not sacrifice himself to see you become one."

Banz squinted trying to see Joe's expression through the cosmic storm. He needed to know if his words were having the right effect, so that he knew if he were on the right track. But Joe's expression remained unchanged, his eyes remained dark, and his mind was totally closed.

"It would KILL Frank to know what you are about to do now, and even if you manage to bring him back again, think about how HE would feel, Joe," Banz pressed on, hoping that his soul brother was listening.

But Joe just stood there, unmoving in the midst of the storm he created, his eyes still fixed on the creation matrix.

"You know what Frank would want you to do, Joe," Banz used his final trump card. "And I know, no matter what happened, and how much pain you're in, there's one thing you would never do, Joe. I know you'll never let Frank down. Because you cared too much for him, you'll never let him down…"

**_Joe _**continued to stare at the creation matrix that was so close within reach. He wanted to reach for it, even when he knew deep in his heart, it was useless. The Spark of life had been used. And even if it was still available, there was no body for him to work with. Still something in him raged at him, asking him how would he ever know for certain if he never tried? But if he did try? He would be defying Fate, going against the natural order of things. He would tear apart the very fabric of existence and create unimaginable Chaos. And when he gets Frank back, Frank would be…

_Frank would be disappointed…_

Frank would never forgive him if he destroyed an entire world and an entire race just to bring him back to life, he knew that. He lowered his arm away from the creation matrix. He remembered all too well what happened that stormy night on the cliffs. What might he end up creating this time in his refusal to accept fate? He let go of Prime, mumbled an apology, and slowly sank down onto his knees, his face buried in his hands.

As rage faded off to grief, the storms around them calmed.

"The All Spark was yours in the first place. You can have it back if you need it," Prime offered.

But Joe shook his head. The Noah's Ark could not bring back the dead; not without the body, and not again, ever.

'So sorry Frank, I let you down… I can't bring you back this time…' he cried.

_I know you'll never let Frank down…_

That was Banz. But he was mistaken. He already did. By being just a little too slow in disengaging. And by not being alert enough to avoid that sneak attack from Starscream… Then he felt a hand lying comfortingly across his shoulder. It was such a familiar feel, and for a moment, he pretended it was Frank standing there behind him, offering him the comfort and assurance he needed. But eventually reality steps in. It was Banz, and he had to acknowledge that fact. Finally he turned to face his soul brother, to apologize for what he almost did. Thank god that Banz's shields held during his initial outburst.

"I know you'll never let Frank down," Banz repeated as he sat down on the ground next to him. "It's all right to feel anger and to rage. The important thing is: you didn't do it. And I'm damn proud of you. And I can tell you that Frank will be proud of you too, brother!"

Joe could feel his eyes starting to sting again. More tears flowed.

"But Frank's gone. I just got him back, and he's gone again. It's just not right. It's not fair…"

"I know it's not fair. Nothing is right or fair, little brother. But does that give us the right to make others suffer for it?" Banz asked.

"No," Joe conceded quietly. "But I am still angry, and it still hurts…"

"So go ahead, rage and grieve. We'll go through it together, and then we'll move on, just as Frank would expect us to…" Banz said as he drew his soul brother into a bear hug, and let Joe's silent tears soaked through his coat to his shoulders.

**_Starscream_** slowly picked himself up from the dusty ground where he landed some distance away from the others. No one noticed him; everyone was so focused on those two young men sitting not far from Prime. There was no point in trying to get his hands on that human, he knew. There was no way he could control him, judging from what he just saw and experienced. And, from his many years experience in fighting wars, there was only one way in dealing with such a being: to remove it from the equation. His metallic lips curved into an ugly smile. He could kill them now, while everybody was distracted.

Starscream slowly stood up and trained his most powerful weapons on the two humans. Anyone else caught in the blast would simply be collateral damage.

He fired.

But the missile never hit its target. Instead, it travelled part-ways towards the humans, and then simply paused there in mid-air, held still by an unknown force. Then slowly, the missile reversed direction and started back towards him. For the first time in many years, he felt fear. But it did not last long, for the missile exploded and the fiery heat cut deep into his body.

He screamed till he could scream no more.

**_Joe_** watched the destruction of Starscream, his face expressionless. He felt nothing. He only did what he had to do to protect himself and Banz. As the screams faded away, he suddenly felt tired. He just wanted to go home, to get back into his room, and be alone.

He turned to the remaining decepticons.

"You can continue to fight this meaningless war if you want to. But I asked: What do you get from all these fighting? Your world was destroyed so totally there was nothing left here. So what if you win? What is the point of winning if you have no home to go back to?" Joe asked them.

Turning to Prime and his autobots, he said: "I've done what I can; the rest is up to you now."

"And take care," Joe added.

To himself, he whispered: "So what if you are the most powerful being in the world? What use is it, if you cannot protect what mattered to most you?"

Finally, he un-summoned Desi and Amateratsu, and then turned to Banz saying: "Let's go home." He was too heart-sore to stay here any longer.

Banz nodded and Joe invoked his birthright and the keys to Runescape, the world between worlds and gateways to all worlds. This was one of the few rare occasions where he could use those gateways to travel. Yes, there were severe consequences for indiscriminate use of Runescape. That was why Runescape was accessible to only a handful of beings, and even those beings rarely used that right. But that was only to be expected. There was no such thing as a free lunch. The gateway opened before them, and the two brothers stepped through, and exited into Runescape.

Not expecting anyone else in that world, Joe was caught totally off guard when a fist came flying out of nowhere and smashed right onto his jaw the moment his foot touched the sands of Runescape.

* * *


	42. DGTTOM Episode 41

* * *

**And the next bit!**

**This one's just wrapping up Test 2, bridging into Test 3. Almost over. Really gone on longer than expected. Thanks for your patience.**

**Skye: pls read "Jedi" and tell me your choice.**

**Bhar: yes, its Frank's fist **

**Tyc: Thanks - glad you enjoy it. **

**Jabh: Yay a new reader! Welcome! Guess by now I don't have to forewarn this is a mega long epic...**

* * *

**To Come Home on an Alien Land**

By Jolly

_Episode 41_

**Destiny: Godson to The Old Man**

**_Banz _**reacted immediately and instantaneously the moment he saw Joe teetered off balance and landed with a dull 'thud' onto the dusty grounds of Runescape. He reached out to grab the attacker's arm, preventing it from going after his soul brother a second time. No one hurts his soul brother and gets away with it! He pulled back his own arm in preparation for retribution. Only to come face to face with a pair of familiar brown eyes…

"Frank?"

Frank roughly shrugged Banz's hold off his arm, shoved pass his stunned soul brother, and headed straight towards Joe. He bent down, grabbed Joe's shoulders, and proceeded to give his younger brother several hard shakes.

"Don't. You. Ever. Dare. Do. That. To. Me. Again. Ever!" Frank yelled out furiously at his brother. "Or I swear I'll… I'll…"

Banz stared in shock at the improbability of that scene with the elder brother shaking the life out of the younger one. The aura of fury emanated strongly from him. It took Banz a while to realize all those wild psychic emanations were not really fury. The rage was merely a cover for the helpless terror that Frank had been feeling for the last few minutes. Those must be some really long minutes, Banz acknowledged.

Joe on the other hand, Banz noted, had this silly grin on his face. It could not be easy keeping that grin given the force behind all those shakes. But somehow his kid soul brother managed that. Banz sat down on the sands of Runescape, contented to sit and wait while the two brothers thrash out the issues among themselves. He had little concerns about minor injuries. Joe the Healer could fix those easily enough. He leaned back against the hard rock, his hands firmly behind his head, and started to whistle a little tune from his homeworld to drown out the sounds of the Hardy brothers' private argument.

Joe could hear and feel the fury in Frank's voice, but none of those were really getting to him at the moment. He was just too happy and too relieved that his big brother's still alive. How that happened, he could figure out later. Now, his eyes zoomed in on the number of scratches on Frank's arm, and the torn jeans and the bleeding gash on Frank's leg.

_"…you hypocrite…"_

"Yes Frank, I am a hypocrite, but if you would just sit down so I can have a look at your left leg?" Joe wheedled gently.

Frank ignored him and continued ranting. But at least his big brother's no longer shaking the life out of him. That's good, because he could now focus fully on his brother's injuries.

_"…did you know what you were about to do? What would mom and dad think? I'm telling you mom and dad would be horrified; they would have been disappointed..."_

"Yes big brother, they'll be disappointed and horrified and saddened. But they'll be even more disappointed if I let you die from gangrene developing from a simple leg wound…. There… Done… Now; if you could let me examine those bleeding scratches on your arm?" Joe continued to coddle his brother.

He let the healing energies weaved its way through his brother's arm, focusing on cleansing the wound of dirt and bacteria before encouraging the body to heal and close up those cuts.

_"… and me. How do you think I feel standing here watching what you were about to do?! My god Joe, you are talking about an entire race here! And all I could do was to stand there and watch helplessly as you… you…you consider that… that…"_

Joe finished his ministrations turned and faced his brother's fury head on. He looked straight into Frank's eyes and saw beyond the fury to the helpless terror underneath. He took in his brother's all too pale face, and saw how shaken Frank still was; and he knew it wasn't from that near death experience. It was from what he, Joe, almost did.

He understood the feeling of simply observing and not being able to do anything. How terribly agonizing that sense of utter helplessness was, being able to see what was happening and not being able to do anything to affect the outcome. He was here in Runescape quite often over the last three years, whenever he could spare any time, to gaze through the Magical Crystal Lens to see if Frank was all right. And for three eyes, he watched over his brother. That was it, he watched. The Crystal Lens showed everything that happened, and project every emotions and thoughts to the viewer. And Frank must have gotten a full blast from the Lens given his wild and savage barrage of emotions.

"I'm sorry, Frank." Joe said simply, feeling truly chastened. Frank had the right to be furious with him. No, Frank was right to be furious with him.

His big brother must have noted his sincerity in that statement; Frank halted his furious barrage, breathing heavily from his exertions.

"Don't do that again." Frank finally admonished.

"I won't," Joe promised. "And I know for certain now, I won't."

And Frank relaxed.

"And I promise that should anything happens to you, I will grieve, and then move on and live life to the fullest," Frank said. "I know I can keep that promise now too." After what he had gone through and what he just witnessed, how could he not? He saw too well, the horrifying consequences of not moving on given the power he and his brothers possessed.

"So I supposed we can officially seal our pact here and now?" Banz asked a smile on his face.

And Joe recalled that little argument they had that night and the pact they never made. He smiled and nodded. He's ready now too.

And the three of them repeated their promise and swore that they would fight their hardest for life, but would move on should any one of the other fall. It would not be easy, but it would be a decision they would stick by, always.

Some distance away, The Old Man saw all that transpired and smile with pride. The three of them had come a long way, and he had no doubt they would be ready to face whatever their future throw at them. Too bad he had to interrupt that private moment now. He sighed.

"Well done," he said, and watched as all three of them turned around, surprised to see him. "And yes, I've been here a while now, and saw everything. Congratulations on passing your second test."

"The test is not just for me, is it, Father?" Joe asked.

"There are parts of it which you have to walk alone, son. But no, its about all three of you," The Old Man answered.

They had wanted to ask more questions, but the slightest of tremors just like that of an earthquake distracted them. A strange structure appeared in the air, some distance away from the floating bloc they were on.

"What is that?" Banz asked in wonderment. The structure shone with an inner light, and was totally out of place compared to all the other floating blocs.

"The Library," The Old Man said. "Come, Frank, its time to claim your birthright."

Frank looked surprised; he turned to his brother, who merely returned a proud and encouraging smile.

"But Joe…" he started to protest, a puzzled expression on his features.

The Old Man shook his head and chuckled.

"Joe is second born, but you are the first-born son of the Arthaidh bloodline. You cannot hide from your destiny either, Frank," The Old Man said.

"This is not the first time Frank's here on Runescape, and previously, Runescape only respond to Joe. So why now? What's the difference?" Banz asked.

"According to the Ancient Texts, only the true heir of the lineage could enter into Runescape without the need to invoke the Runic Keys," The Old Man stated. "And following the old folklore, Runescape only accept one as the true heir after he made that keyless entry for the first time."

And Frank recalled what just happened at Cybertron: the explosion that should have killed him. But he had searched desperately for an escape route. A series of numbers appeared before him, he worked those equations in an instant, opened a pathway and landed right here in Runescape…

"Yes Frank, in Earth Mathematical terms, you mastered the Mobius Strip," The Old Man answered. "But enough of that, it's time to claim your birthright. As heir to the Arthaidh bloodline, Seeress Glynnis should have no reason to object to the Bonding. Not that it matters to any of us, but it is still good to try to stay on civil terms with your in-laws. More importantly, you need to take your place as Advisor and Protector to my Godson. That position was always taken by an Arthaidh. And that is a requirement for the completion of the Rite of Ascension."

"So sorry Frank," Joe told him in an apologetic tone.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because that's supposed to be the burden of the second-born: Me. But I can't take up that position. And since there're only two of us, you'll have to take up dual responsibilities…"

Frank took a deep breath. That was not exactly what he was expecting. Then he remembered The Old Man mentioning that his ancestor left with the twelve loyal tribes 50,000 years back. He supposed there won't be anyone left in this world that he had to look after. That was so long ago, and Hardy's his name now. Given what he saw happened to Cybertron, he supposed the Arthaidh Homeworld would be totally razed to the ground by now. That might be a good thing. He just can't imagine himself as a Patriarch of a clan and ruling over others. That also meant that he could fully focus on taking care of his baby brother. And that was good. Feeling better at having reasoned out everything, he relaxed, and turned to The Old Man.

"What do I have to do now?" he asked.

The Old Man reviewed what just went through the young man's head and sighed inwardly. That kid just had no idea – just like Joe three years ago. Well, he'll have to find out for himself later.

"Just go into the Library and claim your Lineage by putting on that Signet ring that's kept on the pedestal in the centre of the main hall," he told the lad.

Frank's eyes narrowed suspiciously. It's that simple? No booby traps? Weren't those the norm according to movies like Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider and all those Role Playing Games out there?

"Yes Frank, it's THAT simple. We don't do such childish traps here," The Old Man answered with a chuckle.

So he led the way into the Library. Strange, how did he know the way when he'd never been in there before?

_Genetic imprint_, Banz sent to him.

The hallways were huge, and their footsteps echoed down corridor. Frank could see the delicate engravings of Runic symbols that graced every wall. He could see Joe paying close attention to all of them. Too bad he had no idea what those Runes were about at the moment.

_I'll teach you, Frank,_ Joe sent across. _And I know you'll pick them all up in a jiffy._

Finally, they reached the end of the hallway, and it opened up into a gigantic Hall. There on a little pedestal in the middle of the main hall, as a tiny little ring. It looked dull and worn. But when Frank touched it, he could feel a power contained within. He had no idea what that was for – yet. Something told him that he would not like how he might find out what exactly that ring could be used for. Nevertheless, he took it, and put it on his other index finger. It fitted perfectly.

"With that act, you accept your heritage and all the responsibilities that come with it," The Old Man said.

Frank gave a curt nod of acceptance, and all of them exit the Library.

"What next?" Banz asked the moment they all exit the giant mausoleum of a Library.

The Old Man turned to his Godson.

"We go to Draconia. It's time for the final test, and the Rite of Ascension."

Joe nodded and invoked the Keys to open a gateway onto Draconia.

"Time to face the Dragons," The Old Man said before stepping into the gateway.


	43. DGTTOM Episode 42

* * *

**And the next bit!** **Woohoo, 2 chapts in less than 24 hours**

**Enjoy! And back to the storyboard for me!**

**NOTE: REPOSTED - MUCH LENGTHENED. **

* * *

**To Come Home on an Alien Land**

By Jolly

_Episode 42_

**Destiny: Godson to The Old Man**

**_Battling _**dragons' not exactly a situation anyone would like to find themselves in. It was believed that Dragons were immortals, and virtually near indestructible. No one ever saw the birth of a dragon, a young dragon, or an aging dragon. They simply just exist; and every once in a blue moon, there would be a rumor that some hunter had killed a dragon. The general consensus was that Dragons were second in power to Lady Destiny, or God. They were the only beings in the universe that could heal their worlds with healing magic, and their injuries self-heal in combat. Only fools would risk the wrath of dragons.

Yet, in an enclosed anti-gravity dome-shaped combat arena, a young male was battling a dragon. Not just any dragon, but one of the Elites. The combat was fast-paced, and the killing strokes were quick and deadly. Frank Hardy watched his brother's battle from the viewing gallery and caught himself holding his breath several times and Joe slip out of several tight spots. The only thing that kept him in that viewing gallery was the knowledge that this was not a death match. It was just a 'simple' test of worthiness to see if the Chosen was ready to undertake the final test to The Rites of Ascension.

The Storm Blade flashed and parried away an attacking claw, and the warrior slipped in between the Dragon's defenses, slid under the exposed belly, and away from the dragon's deadly grasp. The panel of judges murmured an agreement and officially declared the match over. It was clear to all of them that Joe could have killed the dragon at that point. The Elite morphed into a humanoid and gave the young warrior a sign of respect.

The Chosen passed, as was foretold.

**_Three _**young men stood at the edge of the overhanging cliffs, their face to the gentle breeze that swept softly pass them. Far beyond the horizon, the sun rose. The brilliant rays from the rising sun revealed a vast ancient forest that stretched for miles tens of thousands of feet below where the three men stood. They were all looking at the white snow capped mountains that was shining a dazzling white in the morning sun. There, on an old frozen tundra, would be where they were currently headed.

"It's time," Banz said. "See you on the other side."

With that, Banz took off at a sprint and leapt of the cliffs. He stretched his arms and legs out wide, the increased body surface area worked on the air resistance as he fell, slowing his fall. In the mean time, the upward draft carried him away from the cliff face. Adrenaline produced by his body flowed through his system, inducing an euphoric sensation. Banz watched as the mass of golden trees below started to gain individual shapes and sizes, telling him how far he had fallen. Then, a flash of red appeared below him. He brought his arms and legs together, and propelled himself downwards and towards the Blood Dragon, landing forcefully onto the powerful dragon's back. Latching onto the mane, he positioned himself comfortably, and rode the dragon back up into the skies, laughing at the sharp wind beating against his face.

From the cliffs, Frank watched Banz's deeds a little nervously. He wasn't certain if he wanted to get onto a dragon's back in such a dramatic fashion. Riding one was an adventure on its own.

"Come on Frank," Joe coaxed. "Just pretend that we were sky-diving off the coast of the Great South Bay!"

"Yeah, where's my parachute and stationary landing area?" Frank muttered and Joe laughed.

"Here's our Dragon," Joe stated as a red colored dragon started to circle the sky above them. Ready?"

"I'm not getting my own dragon?" Frank raised his brow. But he could not help feeling a little relieved. He would certainly enjoy riding a dragon, but he'd prefer to have some classes first instead of just jumping onto one, and especially not straight from the precipice of a 20,000 feet drop into an unknown jungle.

"No," Joe shook his head a little regretfully. "You haven't proven yourself to be worthy of that honor yet. There are some little things you have to do first – it's like taking the theory and practical test for a cert."

"Okay…so what did you and Banz do to earn that honor?" Frank asked, curious.

"We removed two broken scales off a silver dragon," Joe answered. "Hey, don't look down on that task, bro. Silver Dragon scales are close to indestructible. Took both of us ten whole hours to get that done! Almost got us killed in the process."

Frank's eyes widened at the images Joe sent across. He never thought the task of removing scales could be so deadly. He swallowed and thought he better resigned himself to just hitching off a ride with Joe. No way was he going to do what Joe and Banz did, and especially not on his own.

"Don't worry, Frank. I have this feeling you'll get your future rides fairly easily," Joe told him before taking off at a sprint and jumped off the ledge. A half minute later, the dragon rose pass him on the cliffs and up into the air with Joe on its back.

_Your turn_, Joe called out to him.

He took a deep breath, and then took his leap of faith.

He didn't land on the dragon. Instead, Joe and the dragon circled around him for a moment, the air pressure from those giant wings slowed his fall even further, allowing him to enjoy the sensation of free-falling for a longer time. He always loved that free-falling sensation; but he still wished he had that parachute pack strapped to his back. Then the dragon flew in from the behind, Joe reached out, caught his arm, and use the momentum to swing him onto the dragon's back.

"Didn't want you to get a sore bum, bro." Joe shouted to him.

Frank squinted against the wind, hanging on for his dear life.

"I gather you are speaking from experience?" he yelled back.

Joe simply laughed as he directed their dragon to follow after Banz.

The frozen tundra was an unusual frozen tundra. It was white everywhere, but it was warm. Everything around them was made of white solid ice that looked like it was untouched for centuries. It made Joe wonder how 'old' his Godfather was. The Old Man never told him.

They followed the path, as instructed, and soon reached a clearing of sorts. In the center of that clearing stood three little dragon statues. And beyond those statues was the doorway to their destination. The statues guard the doorway to whatever lies beyond in that sanctum.

And that sanctum contained the secrets to his destiny, whatever that was, Joe acknowledged. It would be good to find out what exactly his Godfather was, and what exactly he was meant to do as a so-called "Chosen" or "True Healer" or "Guardian" or "Destined One" or one of the other dozens of names that was used by the old folklores and legends.

"The statues would come to life the moment we stepped into the clearing," Joe told his brothers. "They were supposedly indestructible, and will be deactivated once we conclusively defeated them. According to the ancient texts, once those guards are deactivated, the door would open. Ready?"

"What do you mean by 'defeating them conclusively'?" Frank asked.

"I really have no idea," Joe admitted. "I think it's something we are meant to figure out."

"Drats," Frank grumbled. He hated walking into an unknown situation, and always avoided them if he could. In fact, back on Earth, he always somehow managed to even the odds before entering into any fray.

"We'll just have to play by the nose, kiddo," Banz stated as he summoned the Kalosian Ice-Fire Blade. "Ready when you are. Choose your favorite statue: I sort of like that crazy one over there with his long wild mane falling all over his face. It reminded me of myself. I supposed Frank could take that studious looking one? Never knew a dragon could look studious… "

Frank shrugged. It really didn't matter to him which one. He already knew that Banz chose the one he thought would be most difficult to handle. The only thing that mattered was they win and get through to the next round. Wasn't that the purpose of the tests?

Joe passed Frank the Storm Blade, and while he took Jorcan's Flaming Blade. He looked at them, nodded, and then stepped into the circle. And the statues started to move. It morphed into humanoid fighters and started towards them with an assortment of flaming weapons.

At first, Frank was enjoying the swordplay. The statue was good, matching him for agility and intricacy. They traded blows, prodded each other for weaknesses, parried, defended, and counter-attack. It was fun. Then he started to feel really puzzled. A quick sneak peek at his brothers told him they were feeling the same thing.

"They were not fighting us, not really," Joe finally commented in a puzzled tone.

To test his theory, Frank slowed his strokes and opened himself up to an attack. His statue copied his move. He shot his brothers a bemused glance. Then Joe tried to walk out of the clearing, and the statue blocked his attempt. Two deadly strokes forced Joe back into the circle, and the animated statue returned to its lazy strokes all over again.

Three hours later, none of the three brothers were feeling amused anymore. They were tired and tiring. Unlike those magical statues, they needed to eat, sleep, and rest.

"Any ideas at all, Frank? Joe?" Banz asked in a breathless tone.

He had tried every means, technique and spells available at his disposal, and yet those statues fought on undefeated. The blade could not cut it or pierce through it. The statues refused to bend or break or be bounded by magic. They just fought on and on one hack after another. It was monotonous, it was tiring, it was exhausting, and it was dead boring. How do one defeat animated statues that just hack without really fighting.

"I'm all out of ideas, unless we were not meant to win this fight…" Frank gritted out in frustration. He was a patient person, but if this was a test of patience, then he admitted he's going to fail it.

Suddenly, Joe stopped fighting totally and threw his sword onto the ground, as if in a pique of anger.

"That's enough!" He said. "Either you kill us now or let us pass. I concede defeat. You win. All right?"

Frank watched, horrified as the statue lashed out with his sword, looking as if it's going to cut Joe in half. It didn't, the sword stopped a mere millimeter above Joe's head and the statue stared at Joe for a long moment before slowly backing off. Its movements grew slower and slower until finally, it became a statue again. The other two statues followed.

Only then did Joe let out his breath.

"How did you know what to do?" Frank asked.

"I didn't. I just got tired of the games they were playing with us. And I thought what you said was reasonable. If we weren't mean to win, then we're meant to lose. Thank goodness it worked."

Joe ignored the opened mouth stares from his brothers, gestured towards the open doorway, and pushed his brothers through.

"Come on, let's get moving. We've wasted enough time here as it is. We can figure out what all that was all about later," Joe said and head straight down the corridor.

The corridor turned out to be a maze, and soon they were hopelessly lost within it. Then Frank noted that three mirrors graced every wall of the maze. He frowned and wondered if there was any significance to it. He called out for his brothers to stop while he walked over to examine one of the mirrors in closer detail. To his surprise, it was Banz's reflection that stared back at him.

"Hey Frank, I think this one here's your reflection…" Joe said.

They continued looking at each other's reflections for a while. Nothing happened, so the three brothers swap positions until each was facing their own reflection.

Joe stared straight into his image, who grinned cheekily back at him. Then his image faded, only to be replaced by a series of animated images of various events of his life. The time his dad almost died trying to save his life because he refused to listen to instructions; the events leading up to Iola's death in that car explosion; his impulsiveness leading to Frank getting shot; his refusal to let Frank go almost costing an entire race… At first, he tried to push away those bad memories. But the images kept replaying and he was forced to watch them, and with each replay, his perspectives on those events changed. First was the guilt, then the depression. Then there was the remorse and more guilt. Later, regrets stepped in. Finally was acceptance… he realized he learnt from every one of those events, and while he could regret some of those actions, he could never say those experiences were wasted in any way. Every single one contributed to making him what he was today – and as he looked at his own image smiling back at him, he had to say, he did liked the calmer, wiser person who was still as mischievous should opportunity allows that was staring back at him from the mirror...

Then his reflection disappeared.

All three mirrors moved and joined, and turned opaque. Then a line appeared down the middle, and opened inward like a door.

The three brothers looked at each other a little sheepishly. They knew what the other had gone through. Then they returned their attention to the newly opened tunnel. They stepped through.

At the end of it was an opened portal resting in the center of the room. The brothers circled the portal. They tried to peer through the swirling mess of luminescent energy threads to see what lies beyond, but saw nothing. Finally, they looked at each other and then shrugged. So far, they had not encountered anything truly life-threatening. But that might change once they cross over. With no information on what to expect, they would just have to be vigilant.

Banz insisted that he go first, and he did.

Frank waited for Joe to past through before he followed.

A short moment later, and feeling a little nauseous from vertigo, he landed on his bum on a stone cold marble floor in a huge cavernous and beautifully decorated hallway, the ceiling so high it might as well be the sky, and stretched so long he could not see the end of it. Hundreds and thousands of different types of dragons lined the sides of the gigantic rooms, including the multiple stories of galleries that stretched across both sides, all staring down at him with their beady eyes.

Frank gulped a little nervously. He took a quick scan of his surroundings and spotted Banz a little way from his left, struggling to stand up on his still wobbly knees.

Of Joe, there was no sight.

For a moment, he panicked, wondering where Joe was.

Then that moment was over as he saw a huge blood red dragon flying up towards them from the unseen end of the cavernous hallway.

"That's Alasharee," Banz said, and Frank felt a little better. He remembered that Blood Dragon turned giant humanoid. Hopefully that dragon could tell him where his brother was.

The Blood Dragon flew pass them, headed straight up towards the ceiling, did a back flip before changing into his humanoid form and landed nimbly on his feet before them.

"Good to see you again, Kalosis," Alasharee greeted.

"Good to see you too, Alasharee," Banz returned the greeting. "And what's up with all you dragons?" he asked, but Alasharee had already turned his attention to his soul brother.

"And welcome back to your homeworld, Lord Arthaidh," Alasharee addressed Frank. "I look forward to visiting the Galactic Library again after you set them in order. Fifty thousand years without access to the ancient tomes a long, long time."

"Whaaa…at?" Frank stuttered. He's supposed to be a Librarian?

"No, Frank, a Scholar," Banz answered in a cheeky tone. "I thought you love books?"

"I love books," Frank clarified. "But I do not babysit them!"

"It is an honor to be the custodian of all those ancient knowledge, young one," Alasharee admonished the new and young Lord. "And as the Steward of The Runes, it is your duty and responsibility to take care of those old tomes and runes."

Then he started to feel a little concern when the young Lord continued to look irate. This 'steward', from what he heard on the grapevine, was never brought in the proper ways and likely do not share the same values as the old Lords… As much as the dragons loved those old runes and tomes, they had no access to them except by explicit invitation from the Arthaidh Lord. And remembering the snippet of conversation he overheard earlier in the day, he threw out a little bribe for the young lord:

"And most of us dragons would be willing to give you a ride anywhere just for access into that Library…"

That surprised Frank. So dragons loved to read? Any Librarian should be horrified at the thought of a dragon reading and breathing fires onto their valuable old tomes trying to turn the pages with their giant claws. Perhaps he should be too… Then again, Frank sincerely doubted it's a simple matter of love-of-reading. There's something else there, and he'll find out what the truth was.

A deep creaking sound could be heard echoing up the cavernous corridor, and Alasharee turned to the two brothers and spoke now in a more respectful but distant tone.

"It's time," he said. "Welcome, Lord Kalosis, Lord Arthaidh, to the Dragon's Council. Please follow me."

With that, Alasharee swiftly turned on his heels and head back from whence he flew.

"Wait… do you know where my brother is?" Frank shouted after the giant.

"If all goes well, you should be seeing him briefly," Alasharee answered without stopping.

Banz and Frank exchanged a glance and shrugged. It was not as if they were given any choice in the matter. They followed.

A long while later, they reached what they supposed was the 'heart' of the cavernous hallway. In the center of that space was a series of concentric circles raised like a podium. The Old Man stood close to the center waiting, a serene expression on his face, his eyes facing the other end of the hallway.

Suddenly a bright spark flared blindingly bright, and just as quickly, it faded. Then a pinprick of light appeared again in the distance, and slowly grew in size.

It was a dragon, Frank realized, as that light grew larger and came nearer. But this dragon did not seem to have a physical body. It looked like it was pure energy… and was bright enough that Frank had to shade his eyes as that 'dragon' flew past.

Banz stared at that glowing dragon, his brows furrowed in puzzlement. He was certain he this was the first time he ever physically saw this particular type of dragon. Yet, he had seen something similar before somewhere… a dragon glowing silvery white with that strange shade of blue scales… and he remembered: It was the dragon woven onto the Kimono Joe gave to Rei. Now, what does that mean?

Frank watched the 'dragon' circled the podium for a while before finally coming in for the landing. It turned into a human… Joe! And he was half naked. Well, he only had his pants on for now.

Joe landed gracefully on his feet next to his Godfather.

Frank eyed the 'tattoo' of the silvery blue dragon now entwined prominently around his brother's torso. Was it his imagination, or did the 'tattoo' moved? Was that even a 'tattoo'? Frank wondered. And what happened after Joe disappeared into that portal?

_Will show you later, bro…_ Joe sent to him.

"Congratulations, Son." The Old Man said. "You did well. You have found your Dragon-Soul."

"Thank you, my Father." Joe answered formally.

"Now; the proof that you have the Dragon-Fyre." The Old Man requested.

Joe lifted both arms into the air in front of him, and a deep blue flame started to dance between his outstretch palms. He focused on it, and the flame grew in size and in brightness. Then slowly, the ball of blue flames floated upwards, until it neared the ceiling. There it paused and float on its own, lighting up the entire cavern with its light. And there it would stay, until the day he die, or when he gave it up willingly – like when his Godfather did to save his life just three weeks back.

"This place will be your throne room. From here, you will rule. On these walls, the artisans will carve your deeds, and when your time is done, this will be your resting place."

Then The Old Man addressed the assembled dragons.

"Behold my Son and my Heir," The Old Man announced simply. "Your new Lord."

"But he is human, not dragon." A loud guttural voice cut through the cheers, and everything faded to silence.

All eyes turned on the small group of dark colored dragons standing at the northeastern part of the cavern.

"What right does he has to rule over us, Atticus Draconis?" The leader of that group asked. "And he is not even your son. Jorcan died years ago."

_Atticus Draconis? That Dragon King that no one ever saw and no one knew who he was? The Old Man?_ Banz swiveled around and look at The Old Man, shock clearly written on his features. Did Joe know? Of course he did! Banz answered his own questions.

The Old Man turned his eyes on the small rebellious group of dragons and sighed. He had not used that name in centuries, preferring anonymity to using his stature and rank to get things done. But he was still Dragon, one of the Ancient Dragons, the oldest and most powerful of all Dragons.

"If there are any others who agree with them, please step forward now," he requested. "Dragons are known for their wisdom and nobility. Please think carefully before making your decision."

It was true that for the last tens of thousands of years, the Destined or Chosen One or the True Healer, was always chosen from the ranks of the oldest and most powerful of dragons. But that was never meant to be the case. The Chosen was always the most suitable being for that generation. And this time, Lady Destiny had chosen an outsider. But, it was stated in the Eternal Compact, that the Chosen would have dominion over all dragons. It seemed some of the younger dragons had either forgotten, or chose to ignore that little fact. And dragons continue to exist in this galaxy and universe also only for a purpose, which it seemed those young ones also forgot.

Atticus Draconis watched sadly as a good number of the younger dragons chose to join that group.

"Joe successfully completed all the tests laid out in the Rite of Ascension on his own. He has shown he has the heart, the spirit, and the soul of a dragon. By his deeds, he has proven he is everything a dragon was meant to be. Think carefully again. Once your decision is sealed, it is irreversible," Alasharee beseeched the group of rebels, his eyes sadly appealing to them to think again.

Frank was surprised that Joe just stood there and watched with saddened eyes.

_There is no power struggle here, Frank_. Joe sent across. _There is no need to fight for what is rightfully mine._

"Do the rest of you accept my Son's leadership and willingly submit to his will?" Draconis asked the remaining assembled Dragons.

The roar of approval was loud and clear.

Then Atticus turned to rebels that numbered over two hundred.

"I will not force you to accept my Son as your Lord. That is not the way of the dragons. It has never been, and will never be. You are welcome to choose your own leader and build your own nest. May Lady Destiny have mercy on you."

With that, Atticus turned away.

"Come, Son. Its time to celebrate…" Atticus said. "Lead the way."

Joe nodded and led the way out of the ancient caverns, his brothers by his side, the rest of the dragons.

It did not take long for the rebels to realize what happened. Screams of rage and wails of despair pierced the air.

The older dragons lowered their head in mourning. Almost a quarter of a generation of dragons lost, just like that.

What happened? Frank wondered. Did the dragons do something to the rebels?

_No,_ Joe answered. _They just realized what makes the true soul of a dragon._

_No, Frank,_ The Old Man answered him in a tired voice. _Those youngsters forgot; that once upon a time, man and dragon are one._

_They were no longer dragons! _Banz suddenly realized the reasons for all those cries of despair. _Because of their pride, their lack of respect and wisdom, they lost their dragon soul…_

_You mean to tell me there's no such thing as a 'bad dragon'?_ Frank asked incredulously. To him, that's an impossible concept.

_No, of course not. Dragons make mistakes as they grow, like every other living being. It's a little abstract to explain, but the best I can do, in biblical terms, one may say, there's no such thing as a 'sinful' dragon…_ Joe answered, his sadness echoed down the corridors of the ancient caverns, to be felt by every dragon following behind them.


	44. DGTTOM Episode 43

**First: I must apologise. I re-wrote the previous bit again. So I have to ask you to re-read it. Its also much lengthened, even though the first bit is the same. I just realize I could not make it 2 separate chapters. Please forgive me.  
**

**This is the final bit for Story 3. I think it dragged a little too long - being side-tracked by Christmas and also trying to cover too much ground. I would be dividing it into two parts: the first bit about what happened to Joe - and thus Frank in the past, and the second part covers the ascension rite bit.**

**Okay, story 4 would be tentatively named: To Bring My Family Together Again. Will cover what happened to Fenton and Laura etc etc. **

**As with the case everytime I finish a part - I take a break... so it would likely be 3-4 weeks before I continue with story 4. Thanks again for being patient.**

**Pls enjoy. **

* * *

**To Come Home on an Alien Land**

By Jolly

_Episode 43_

**Destiny: Godson to The Old Man**

**_The _**three brothers were back at the precipice overlooking the ancient forest. It was Joe's favorite spot on this planet, even though he rarely had time to enjoy the crisp and fresh wind and the panoramic view afforded by that spot. Except now, it was so dark they could not see beyond it to the trees below. High above them, the stars twinkled. The celebrations had continued for the rest of the day, and carried on long after the sun set.

He knew Frank enjoyed the celebrations immensely. How could one not? Dragons partied hard and differently from most other beings. It was a festival of self-indulgence – a celebration of the full capabilities of dragons. There were contests of death defying flights as the competing dragons pushed their flight abilities to the limits. And a host of other fun and games where dragons pit their minds and bodies to the max. The sheer joy of living and being dragon permeates the air. It was hard not to feel uplifted in such an environment.

Joe eyed Banz and Frank lying on the ground next to him, their eyes on the stars, and simply enjoying the fresh night air and letting the steady twinkle of the stars washed away the wild emotional roller-coaster they went on the last few days. He smiled and went through his own memories, reliving the experience and categorically going through everything he learnt. And his mind returned to the final part of the Trials:

_He entered the portal and landed unceremoniously onto a cold hard floor. The portal vanished after that, and he found himself in a long cavernous corridor. Alone and with no other route to take, he followed the corridor and soon it opened up into an even larger room.. Nested on a "bed" set in the center of that 'room', was a dragon that he saw only ever in his visions, but never in reality. Its scales were silvery white, and every now and then, a flash of blue appeared on random scales._

_With no other alternatives or instructions in sight, he approached the dragon, and wondered what test awaited him this time._

_"Welcome to my humble abode, Healer," the dragon rasped weakly._

_The dragon was not well, Joe realized. Was he expected to heal it? He relaxed and focused, letting his healing sense reach out for the dragon's essence. For a moment, his brow furrowed in puzzlement; there was nothing wrong with the dragon. It was neither sick nor poisoned. He delved deeper. It was old! He suddenly realized. And it was dying…_

_Dragons were not immortals, he knew for certain now. Then, why was he here? What was he supposed to do here? Could he reverse old age? He tried. But Father Time was relentless on his forward march, and the aging cells refused to be invigorated. The dragon before him was dying. So, again, why was he here?_

_Suddenly, a sadness flowed over him. The dragon before him was lived a long time and done great things, he knew. It was there on the markings on the walls, showing all its great deeds, whether as a warrior or a diplomat. And Joe realized that this dragon was the Dragon King before his godfather took over the throne._

_"And what do you conclude, young Healer?" the dying dragon asked in a raspy voice._

_"All creatures, no matter how powerful, must move on in the end. Everyone dies," Joe answered. "Even near invincible, self-healing dragons."_

_"Is that all?" the dragon pushed on._

_"Every creature, no matter how powerful, has its time in the sun. Then it must know when to leave, before everything it achieved turned to dust. When the time comes, let go of power, or power will consume you."_

_The old dragon nodded approvingly._

_"Indeed, and that was why I left even when I still had tens of centuries of life before me. And your Godfather has done very well, has he not?"_

_"Yes," Joe answered._

_"Read the walls, and tell me what you now know of dragons."_

_The raspy voice brooked no dissent, so Joe turned his attention to the wall. And he gasped. "There are no different species of dragons, only different incarnations!" He continued through the remaining carvings more reverently now. No wonder legends had it that dragons were immortals. And no wonder their wisdom span the ages. They lived that long…_

_"Yes, we all came into being as fairy dragons with only beauty and little strength or magic. And with each incarnation, if we survived, we gain power which should be backed by increased wisdom. And with each incarnation, we could stay longer and longer in humanoid form. An Ancient Dragon, which in most cases, is also the final incarnation, a dragon could stay indefinitely in human form."_

_"And why would a dragon want to be human?" Joe asked before he could stop himself._

_"How well do you know the biblical texts of your world?" the old dragon asked. "Why do angels fall?"_

_The dying dragon paused and waited for a dry rattling in its chest to pass before continuing._

_"There are things that a human could do that a dragon can't. A dragon, for all its wisdom, power, and affinity to healing magic, could not feel sensations or enjoy the finer taste of food like a human can. That was also the reason why some of the older dragons chose of their own free will to give up their Dragon-Soul to become human. But that is an irreversible decision, which is why very few dragons made that choice…"_

_Dragons can become humans?! That bit of information came as a surprise to Joe. He returned to the walls and re-traced the entire life of the dying Ancient Dragon. A newborn with power, until it became a powerful creature… But, as Joe suddenly saw, the society of dragons had little use for power. Dragons gained power with each incarnation, but because each level of power was backed by wisdom, it was a rare occasion that the Dragon King had to 'rule'. Whereas the human world offered endless opportunities for a 'fallen' dragon to utilize its accumulated knowledge for power over others…_

_"Very astute, young Healer. And there is one more thing you must know…" the ancient dragon said. "And that is, once upon a time, man and dragon are one…"_

_Joe's eyes widened as the story continued and he learnt of the events that caused the breach, creating two separate species where there should be one. And since humans outnumber dragons hundreds of millions to one, no other human shall ever know of it, or dragons could be hunted to extinction. Even amongst dragons, only the oldest and wisest knew, and the secret past on from Dragon King to Dragon King._

_When the revelations were all over, the dying dragon asked of him: "Are you ready to receive the Dragon-Soul and the Dragon-Fyre, and all the responsibilities that came with it?"_

_Joe hesitated. He really did not want it. All he wanted was an ordinary life, operate a detective agency with his family and help others…_

_"And that was why you are Chosen, young one," the dragon rasped. "Are you ready?"_

_Joe nodded, and a bright light filled the room._

_The old dying dragon was gone… it had moved on after using the last of its magic, and its dying breath, to do what it was destined to do._

_And Joe stood alone in the room, feeling his Dragon-Soul coursing through him. And from there, he learnt the secret of the Dragon-Fyre._

"Hey Joe!" Frank called out. "Ready to talk yet?"

Joe turned to face his brothers, and saw the expectant expressions on their faces. He cheerfully proceeded to tell them everything he could…

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End file.
